


Man In The Mirror

by MorMor_187



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, F/M, Friends to Enemies to Lovers, Friends to Lovers, Mentioned Ben Hargreeves, Oh yeah I'm changing the format, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Number Five | The Boy, So much angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:15:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 36,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23972866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MorMor_187/pseuds/MorMor_187
Summary: In a world where empty promises mean everything, Reginald Hargreeves gets elected as ruler of the concrete jungle district.Five and Vanya are best friends and secretly in love with each other, but everything falls apart when trucks filled with soldiers burst into their town and take away every young boy in sight, Including five.13 years later, Vanya seeks revenge.
Relationships: Number Five | The Boy & Vanya Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy/Vanya Hargreeves
Comments: 27
Kudos: 80





	1. chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is my second fiveya fanfic and I'm so excited!  
> I got inspired into making a dystopian future au and couldn't help but sharing this cool, chewed to the bone concept with all of you.  
> I'll be uploading whenever I can and try to write as much as possible, so don't expect a regular upload schedule. Hopefully this time there will be smut (I suck at writing it). all of my favorite fics, in general, have smut in them so I try to live up to them and give the thirsty fiveya fans what they want!  
> hope you'll enjoy it!

2102

The sound of giggles and laughter mingles with the sound of the birds chirping as Vanya runs through the forest. She smiles wide as she looks back at Five, who's chasing her with a smirk. He's playing it cool for most of the time, barely letting anything bother him, but the moment Vanya teases him about Dolores he loses it. 

Vanya never expected to come by his apartment only to see him kissing a mannequin he found on the streets, let alone that he would give it a name, but ever since she found out she simply can't stop teasing him about it. Seeing the blush taking all over his face is just too priceless to miss. 

Vanya was tackled to the ground mid laughter by him, and he spun her around so he could hold her wrists to the grass. A wide smirk was plastered on his face as if feeling proud of succeeding to tackle her, but Vanya didn't back down one bit.  
He still made out with a mannequin. 

He waved his finger as a warning sign like his old caretaker always does when he gets into trouble and got off of her to lay by her side on the grass.  
The sun was just now starting to set, setting a golden glow over the treetops. They laid next to each other in comfortable silence, taking in the beauty of actual nature and breathing in the semi-fresh air they will never get back home. 

"Why do you need her, anyway?" Vanya asked, breaking the silence and turning to look at him. He was resting his head on his arm with his eyes closed, taking a deep breath. "Who?" He asked nonchalantly, his hands drawing patterns Vanya could make out on his stomach with his other hand.  
"Dolores. What's the sudden interest in kissing?" She asked as she got up to lean on her upper arm, putting her head in her palm and picking at the grass beside her. 

Five bit his lower lip, trying to come up with a good answer. He can't possibly tell her how he wishes he would be good enough when he'll finally kiss her one day, does he? The thought of him ruining what they had for all of their lives makes him feel so guilty for feeling the way he does, but he couldn't help it. By the time he realized that he had feelings for his best friend it was too late to turn back, so much so that a life without her is not an option. 

"Well, the word goes by in the streets that many boys our age have some experience in it and..." Five got up to the same position as her. The sun that was shining on the treetops got much lower, and so now it was illuminating Vanya's body in that beautiful golden light that made him almost lose his train of thoughts. He could only think about how he will never get tired of her brown eyes looking likes pools of that sweet stuff called honey that was always too expensive for most of his town people to own. 

"And what?" Vanya asked with a giggle as she looked how spaced out he got, staring at her with his mouth slightly open. The sound of her giggle brought him back to earth as he finally remembered what he was trying to say. "And nothing, you know me. I just like to be prepared for everything." Vanya smirked down at the ground before lifting her gaze to look at him. "Wouldn't it work better with a...I don't know... living person?" Vanya asked and Five widened his eyes with a scoff of disbelief. 

When in the world did she become so salty?

A mischievous smirk slowly formed on Five's lips. "You little..." He begins and grabs the hand her head rests on, making her head land back on the soft grass. Vanya laughed hysterically as Five got on top of her like he did just a few moments ago and started tickling her. He liked tickling her just as much as she liked to tease him about kissing inanimate objects. 

"F-five stop! Please! I-I can't breathe!" Vanya kept laughing and Five tickled her a little more before stopping to take her wrists in his hands and pinning them to the ground. Five cocked an eyebrow at her questionably, as if challenging her to tease him again. She looked him straight in the eyes, slowly catching her breath again. Even if he was in control, she would never back down. They both knew it, yet Five still hadn't let go of her hands. 

In fact, the smirk he once wore on his face slowly turned into a simple smile as they looked at each other for a minute that felt like an eternity. 

The sound of crows cawing from the treetops reminded Vanya her surrounding and she finally broke the staring moment she had with Five and looked around. The sun was nowhere to be seen, and the sky was a much darker blue than they were yellow, orange, and pink a few moments ago. "It's getting kind of late..." Vanya remarked, yet Five said nothing, only looked at her lips as she wet them. "Maybe we should get back."

She let out a laugh as Five finally came out of the trance he was in with a shake of the head and a mumble of words. "Uhh yeah, totally." He said as if understanding yet did nothing to show that he did.  
"Starting by getting you off of me first." She took advantage of his loosened grip on her wrist to pinch his ear with her fingers and pulling him down, making him say the word "ow" under his breath a whole bunch before he was finally back on the ground. 

"Come on, we have to go." Vanya offered her hand for him to take, and he did just that with an apologetic smile. Once he was up again they started walking the way they came from, Five's hand never letting go of Vanya's. 

As they kept walking through the forest, they could feel the struggle to breathe in their lungs as they got closer to their town, where the air is much less clean than in the forest. As they crossed the bridge that separates the town from the forest, the fog that is like a usual feature of their town made it harder to see. 

The remainings of daylight that they hoped will help them see their walk back home helped most of the way, and luckily by the time it turned from dark blue to pitch black they were already surrounded by light posts in the streets.  
Unfortunately, this is their town they're walking in, nothing is safe here. 

The buildings were narrow and short, some of them have been here for so long that the foundation often shakes when it's stormy, some are luckier if they can afford a building that's only about 50 years old and not 200 years old and even these buildings are infested with rodents and insects. 

As they walked down the streets, Vanya instinctively tightened her grip on Five's hand, and he didn't have to look at her to know that she was afraid too. He was scared as well, but he needs to remain calm so he could support Vanya. 

They passed by homeless people, begging for money and sobbing from hunger, they passed people hurrying back home just like them, some even pushing them so they could pass them by on the sidewalk. They turned around to their left when they heard two men struggling to lift dead bodies to a cart. Vanya let out a gasp as her eyes got teary, and Five could only put his hand around her shoulders and pull her away from the scene. No one can avoid this kind of sights on the streets, but no one really gets used to the sight of people dying. 

They walked faster as fewer and fewer people walked by, and they both sighed in relief as they got into the building where they both lived one apartment next to the other. They both said they regard and went their separate ways. 

That night Vanya laid in bed, listening to the sound of gunshots and hugged the covers closer to her body.  
They lived in the concrete jungle district, where it seems people's hearts and souls have turned into concrete.  
They sure as well will all be buried in concrete, so it only seemed fitting. 

2115

Vanya waited under a light post in the corner of the street, covered in dark clothes and a big hoodie to hide her form as best as she could. Her hands were buried inside her pockets. Partly because of the cold, and also because holding the pocket knife she brought with her made her calm down more. These days attacks happen out of nowhere with no warnings what so ever. Vanya couldn't help but feel a wave of coldness pass through her body just from being outside, which is a thing she doesn't do much these days, but when she found out about a secret organization called the umbrella, she had to find out more. 

She straightened up when she saw a hooded figure making it's her way towards her, and it seemed female from the way the figure's body was built. The streets were pretty dark with flickering light posts, since no one really gave a shit or cared enough to invest money in repairing them, and so Vanya had to narrow her eyes to try and see who this woman was, which deemed useless. 

Vanya tensed as the woman got closer. Is she from the organization? It's either that or Vanya is about to get in trouble. She fiddled the pocket knife in her hand faster, trying her best to remain calm as it didn't work so well for other people Vanya has heard of who got hurt badly for showing any weakness. 

These days her town seemed more like a zoo with the feral way that people are behaving. Showing the people around you that you fear them only gives them the sick feeling that they can do everything they want to people and get away with it unharmed. Usually, it is the case, until when a person comes along and kills that fucker and then he turns to that person also like some kind of twisted cycle.  
It never ends.

The woman stopped in front of her. She was so tall that even with the boots that she found near a dumpster one day that made look slightly taller,sbe still felt small. Now that she was in front of her and by proxy, near the light post, Vanya could finally see her face. And once she did she couldn't believe it. 

"Allison?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story will get better as it progresses, trust me!

2102

Vanya and Five held their hands as they walked through the forest again. The forest was so big that even if they spent so many years of their lives walking through it, they still managed to find new things to see. 

Just like the old watchtower in the outskirts of the forest, just near the gates that separate the town from other towns in the concrete jungle district. 

"I saw it on an old map I found at home," he started showing Vanya, and her eyes winded as she beamed down at the map. "Apparently it was used a lot in all of the previous district wars." He explained and Vanya couldn't help but feel eager to explore this place. She always enjoyed finding a new place she could hang out at with Five, to take her mind off of the harsh reality of their everyday life for a little while. 

Five could tell from the expression on her face how much she wanted to go and Five always liked to make her happy, so it was that same afternoon that they followed the map and got to that exact watchtower. 

Since there hasn't been a war in a while (which is considered very rare for their district), they were all alone when they finally reached the tower. They couldn't contain their excitement that came out as giggles as they circled the tower and stopped in front of a staircase that spiraled all the way to the top. 

"Wow..." Vanya said in amazement as she looked up at the watchtower, the tallest building she has ever seen in her life.   
"Ha!" Five let out a single laugh and patted on Vanya's shoulder to draw her attention. When she turned around to look to her left, she couldn't help but let out the exact same single laugh at vandalized candidacy posters of Reginald Hargreeves, their new ruler. 

There were only three posters, each one was painted on with a black marker or ripped in weird ways. Vanya's smile faded a little as she saw how much creepy it was. This Reginald was scary enough without getting his eyed and mouth ripped off of his face. "So weird..." Vanya said quietly, her finger caressing the torn paper left behind. 

"Yes...yes it is...LAST PERSON TO REACH THE TOP IS A REGINALD!" Five shouted, passing by her and climbing the stairs with all his mighty. Vanya gasped in disbelief, "Five you asshole!" She shouted and started to climb the stairs as well, but it was obvious that she won't reach before him as he was already at the end of the second staircase. 

"Yes!" He cheered as he reached the top, but he stopped once Vanya slapped him on the arm. "You dick..." She muttered to her self, yet the small smile on her face showed that she didn't really mean it. "Well, I might be a dick but you still like me none the less," Five said and booped her nose. Vanya scoffed and pushed his finger away, her face slowly turning scarlet. He said that she liked him... Shoot, does it mean he knows!? 

Five was about to make a comment about how much she was blushing when all of a sudden they heard someone calling from the left side of the tower. They turned to look at each other in question before walking to the edge and looking down at what was the town square from the other side of the wall that separated the tower they were in from the town. 

"What's going on?" Vanya asked as they looked at the stage that seemed to appear out of nowhere, and on top of it stood someone with the whitest clothes the two of them has ever seen. He was wearing white robes with a weird hat, a rolled scroll was in his fisted hand as he cupped the other one in front of his mouth so he could call the town people to gather around the stage. They were so lucky to be at the tower, as it's obvious that they wouldn't have been able to see a thing with the number of people gathered around the stage. 

"The citizens of town 043, listen carefully!" The man shouted one last time, and only when the confused murmurs of the town people died down he continued. 

"Our great leader Reginald Hargreeves has promised to stop the wars that have made us suffer for years, and he will do as he promised, but this promise comes with a price!" The man shouted, and from the stairs on the left side of the stage came two people dressed in armor pieces decorated with black leather and matching the black leather masks that covered most of their faces. 

They were carrying a pole with a grown man tied to it. He was screaming for them to let him go, stress and fear very visible all across his face. The two armored men stuck the pole in a hole at the center of the stage, making the pole stand and face the people. "The only way in which wars could be prevented is a human sacrifice for every season of the year!" The man in the white robes shouted and the town people were all revolved, howling in fear and utter shock as one of the armored men took a gallon of gasoline and poured it all over the innocent man, making him spit out some of the gasoline that got into his mouth and whine even louder. 

"Five..." Vanya grabbed his sleeve in her hand and he immediately brought her closer to him. They did nothing but watch this horrific sight unfold, just like all of the other town folks. The person in the white robes put the glasses that were hanging from his neck by a string on top of his nose and unfolded the scroll. 

"For the sake of peace, a price has to be paid. In order to end all wars, a sacrifice has to be made." One of the armored men grabbed a piece of wood with cloth at the tip of it in his hands, and the other one-handed him a lighter, making the cloth burn and go up in flames.   
"As our great ruler, Reginald said, for peace, I'll do all. For the sake of peace, may God have mercy on his soul."

And just like that, the armored man threw the flaming torch to the gasoline-soaked feet of the bound man, making his entire body to engulf in a major fire.   
"Oh my god!" Vanya screamed in terror and five hugged her to him, turning her away from the horrible sight, but she could still hear the screams of pain and agony that the man let out as he was burning alive. These screams only made her cry hysterically as she hugged Five closer to her. 

He was the only thing pure in this fucked up world, the only thing she could hold on to and feel steady. What would she ever be without Five by her side? 

2115

"Allison?"  
Vanya let out in disbelief. She knew her ever since they were kids, she always knew her way around and was known for using her words to get everything she wanted. "Vanya, good to see you," Allison said in a low voice and reached out with her hand. Vanya hesitated a little before shaking her hand, still wary of who she should trust. 

Allison smiled a little at their joined hands before giving it a little shake. She had a firm grip, and Vanya could only assume that she smiled because Vanya's hand didn't. "So, are we going to talk about..." Vanya started saying but was shushed when Allison raised a finger to her lips. "You'll know everything soon enough," Allison looked left and right, "but not here." She finally let go of Vanya's hands and started walking back the way she came from. She said nothing else, but Vanya figured she was supposed to follow, so she picked up her steps and walked beside her. 

It was a walk of about 10 minutes before they reached a pub. They walked in and were immediately greeted by the stench of Sweat and alcohol that filled the air. For a moment she was afraid that this was all a trap, that she was about to get beaten up by all of these strong and very drunk people occupying the booths, but when Allison ignored all of them and walked straight to a hallway, Vanya could sigh in relief. 

The hallway led to what seemed like the restrooms, but then came along a staircase, that once they climbed down they were met with a metal door with a small sign on it saying "boiler room". 

Allison knocked 5 times, making Vanya puzzled at the odd number before the door opened with a metal shriek. Allison was quick to go inside, yet Vanya stayed behind as a spike of bad paranoia deep in her brain made her question this whole situation. 

"C'mon, get in before anybody sees." Allison rushed her and Vanya sighed before walking inside. Vanya didn't know what to expect, but it was definitely far from what she probably would have expected. 

The place was big, much bigger than what a normal boiler room would be like. The wall to the right was almost entirely covered by monitors of computers, a table in the middle was showcasing a map of the entire concrete jungle district, and lastly, a big area littered with these mattresses and shelves containing the biggest collection of weapons Vanya has ever seen. 

Some people were practicing fighting tactics in there, and Vanya got the feeling as if she knew them. "I'm back with the recruit!" Allison shouted to draw their attention, and they all stopped to look at her. Vanya waved, looking at their faces and realizing that she does know them. They're all from her town, the same age as her. What is this? 

Vanya was so confused. What are they doing here? She hasn't seen them in years yet... They're here. "What...how are they..." She asked as she pointed at them, her look keeps going back from Allison to the group of men in front her and back at Allison again. The group stopped what they were doing and got closer, looking just as confused as she was. "What are you talking about? You know them, it's Luther, Diego, and Klaus. We all grew up together."

"How come you guys are here? All of the guys I knew were taken by the army 13 years ago. I saw with my own eyes how they took away my best friend! How are you guys still here?!" Vanya raised her voice as she was getting frustrated. She lost Five yet they get to be free? Is there any fairness to this world? 

"Look, the day that it happened we weren't even above ground," Luther said, just making Vanya more upset. 

"It was a stupid bet that we did that made us go to the old mines. We got in and we had to spend three hours there, whoever lasts longer wins." Diego resumed Luther, sorrow showing on his face in a way that Vanya has never seen on him. He was always either angry or cocky, nothing in between. 

"We could feel the ceiling shaking, but we didn't hear anything. By the time we got out we heard mothers crying and then silence. These boys were a happiness source to so many people that without them happiness was hard to find outside in the streets." Luther said and Vanya sighed, her eyes getting teary at the memory of the great sadness that never left their town. 

"We lost people too. Do you remember Ben?" Klaus asked and Vanya nodded. One can't ever forget Ben and the weird shop his parents owned where they sold exotic sea creatures like octopuses, they best sell for years. "He was a very close friend of ours. when we looked for him and his parents said they took him...our hearts were broken." He continued, his shoulders slumped. 

"So we decided to set up the umbrella organization. We can't just sit back and watch that asshole Reginald take innocent people's lives and do nothing about it." Allison said, her voice sounding intense and full of purpose. 

"You're right, And I want in," Vanya said, hoping that her voice sounded as determined as she felt.   
She will find Five, even if her life depends on it. 

"Not so fast, we still need to run some tests," Luther said, making Vanya frown. "Tests? How much time do you think I have? More members mean more power, right?" Vanya asked. After all, it's not like there's a waiting list with thousands of people wanting to join. 

"Vanya, this isn't just about being in the umbrella and thinking that it's helping. We do dangerous shit that can cause injuries, even death. If we accepted everyone who wanted to join, people who can't handle what we're doing can do more harm than good. If you want in, you have to prove us first." Diego chimed in and Vanya sighed as she realized he was right. 

"Fine, when can we have them?" She asked with a sigh, hoping to get it done as soon as possible. "Come by tomorrow morning. The sooner the better." Luther replied and Vanya nodded before walking out, already wanting to go back to the safety of her home. 

She knows it's going to be hard, but she'll do anything for Five, even these stupid tests.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly suck at updating, especially now that I have a very stressful few weeks of exams ahead of me, but I'm really excited about what this fanfic is becoming, I hope this will be good enough until you guys get the IMPORTANT chapter that's bound to come next time I upload.

2102  
It was a lovely winter afternoon, with a clear sky and the sun shining bright, but even with the sun so free of clouds, it was still cold and dark from the very much rainy day before. Vanya and Five were walking through the forest like usual, their hands intertwined. They didn't speak, yet the silence was a comfortable one. But Vanya was missing some action.

"Tag, you're it!" Vanya caught Five by surprise as she tapped on his shoulder and started running away. Five scoffed in over-exaggerated disbelief before running after her. "Come here, you!" He yelled as he started chasing after her, making her giggle as she ran towards the watch tower which has become their own private piece of peace. 

She started climbing the stairs, laughing hard at the threats Five was yelling about how he will tickle her for Five whole minutes with no escape. The sound of his feet loudly stepping on the squeaky wood made her climb the stairs even faster than before, now a bit worried that his threats might become a reality soon. "Haha, you fool! You have trapped yourself under my mercy!" Five yelled with an ominous voice as he raised his hands up in the air shaped like claws, his face mastering an evil smirk, but the act he put on slowly came to a halt when he noticed Vanya was no longer looking at him, but looking over the side of the tower that observes their town square. 

Three months ago they witnessed the first sacrifice from this tower, and just yesterday the sacrifice of the winter season occured. Five lowered his hands to his sides as he got closer to the wall Vanya was leaning on. He looked at her frown first before following her eyes to find her looking over at the town's biggest bullies- Cha cha and Hazel. Five Shook his head in annoyance and disbelief as he watched them beat a younger kid for his bag of bread and tomatoes which probably took his family a very long time to save money to get. 

They watched from the tower as the kid was left behind them, laying on the floor bruised and crying, and the bullies showed no remorse as they walked away from him, fist-bumping and chewing on his bread. "Those bastards..." Vanya whispered under her breath, her knuckles turning white as she held on to the ledge of the wall she leaned on for dear life. "Just forget about them, Vanya... They're just a couple of assholes-"

"I can't forget about them Five! Look what they did to this poor kid that they don't even know!" She said as she turned around and let her body slide to the floor, her back leaning against the wall. "Yesterday, they hung out in front of our building Five...I was scared of even making a sound in my own room...as if these stupid sacrifices aren't enough to make everyone go mad, they go ahead and ruin it some more." Vanya said, her voice defeated and her shoulders slouched. 

"Yeah, It's funny how there are more soldiers than ever yet people do even more crime than they did before..." Five remarked as he sat beside her, his shoulder brushing against her and his leg nudging her leg as if quietly reassuring her that he's here to support her, until he realized there is a better way he can do that. 

"Alright, get up." He said excitedly as he got up on his feet, his hand extended towards her, and a big smile was plastered on his face. "For what?" Vanya asked with a frow in her eyebrows, a smile slowly spreading on her own face at how Five was smiling so silly like. He shook his extended hand as if insisting without words, and Vanya rolled her eyes with a sigh before getting up as well. "Look, in case I'm not around to protect you, I'm gonna teach you how to fight, so you can defend yourself."

Vanya couldn't help but let out a loud laugh before holding it back with her hand. "What? You don't think I can fight?" Five said and punched the air a few times, making her laugh harder. "Sorry, it's just that I can't imagine you hitting anyone with these noodle arms of yours." Five scoffed and put his arms out in disbelief. "Hey! I had to punch my way out of a conflict a couple of times and you bet your cute ass that I kicked their asses with these very noodles arms, so lift your hands up like me and prepare to fight woman!" Five shouted making her laugh. 

"Alright, go as hard as you can noddle man-" Vanya said, not ready for the punch that was thrown her way, hitting her cheek. It felt as if every part of her face moved a bit to the right as her hair created a curtain around her face. A gasp of surprise left both of their mouths and Five immediately regretted listening to her last remark, just as she regretted her underestimation of him.

"Five..."  
"Y-yeah?"  
"You better start running..."  
"Wait, w-what?"  
"5...4...3...2..."  
Five didn't have to be told twice before he took off, Vanya chasing right after him.

"YOU'RE SO DEAD!"

2115

A memory from 2102 distracts Vanya as she tries her best to avoid getting hit by Diego and failing miserably. Grunts of pain leave her mouth as she gets hit in the nose, then in the back of the knee which makes her fall onto her knees, and then held by the hair with her head pulled so Diego can see her bleeding nose and bruised lips. 

"This is not going to work," Diego said as he let her go, making her fall on all fours and breathing heavily. "W-wait..." She tried to protest, to prove that she'll do anything to be a part of their group. "Vanya, we did all of the physical tests and you failed them all, and look at you, you're really injured," Allison said as she went to her side and put a rag to her nose, stopping the blood from flowing. "We're sorry Vanya, we just can't take the risk of getting you hurt," Luther said as he sat on the corner of an improvised boxing rink they set up. "Please I...I have more things I can do." Vanya said and winced in pain as she got up and felt a sharp pain in her ribs.

"I know I haven't been good at all of the physical stuff but I barely leave my apartment and I'm on the computer all the time," she said as she limped her way towards the monitor station. "And is that supposed to make us except you..how exactly?" Klaus asked but Vanya ignored him and kept going. 

"5 months ago I got into the deep web and heard a rumor about a new technology that's made specifically for soldiers. When I found out it was true I had to see it for myself." She sat down in the chair and got to work, her determination and quick typing made all of the others gather around her. 

After about two minutes she got into a website they tried to get into for nearly a year. The others couldn't even begin and fathom what she was doing on the web and how did she even get to a page about blue contact lenses. "Forensic lenses, contact lenses that can recognize the person the soldier is looking at, showcase basic information about that person, and even show their criminal record. But that's not all, " she said and then typed some more, which made a file full of code to open up. 

"For as long as I knew about the existence of these lenses I tried to find a way to hack them, but I haven't been able to yet."  
"Why not?" Luther asked, voicing everyone's question out loud. "I don't have a good enough of a computer to do this, and also because if the police will ever find out about me you might just see me burning alive at the town square. But you guys have multiple screens, a deceiver, and a good enough computer, so if you guys give me the opportunity to work here, I might have greater chances of learning the way of these lenses." She said, a proud smile plastered on her bruised face. 

"And when you finally hack them? What can we do with them?" Diego asked as he crosses his hands in front of his chest, showing skepticism like always. "Oh not much, just a way to pose as a different person without the need of a disguise, or preventing them from seeing your criminal record," Vanya replied, her proud smile growing even bigger, and from the surprised reaction of the rest, Vanya had no shadow of a doubt she would get in, if not as a field agent, then as a background operator, which she also doesn't have a problem with.

"Holy shit, this can help us tremendously with our missions, doesn't it Luther?" Allison said excitedly, her eyes almost shining bright with the chaos they can finally bring upon Reginald. "What can I say? Congratulations Vanya, you're officially a part of the Umbrella's" Luther said, his big hand landing on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze

She has never been this close to finding Five, and now that she's got the chance she's not going to let it get away.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I promised the important chapters next time I upload which is technically now, but until then this is just a little filler until I get to the grand chapters, so please hang on tight!

"Remind me again why I'm the one who had to go?" Allison asked as she made her way towards the meeting place the group set with the delivery man. Today they finally made the move to get themselves a pair of contacts so they could test them on their own, but much to their dismay the price was way over their limit.

But the umbrella bunch never back down from a challenge.

"Because you're a woman, so the man you're supposed to meet will immediately get a false sense of security," Luther replied into a microphone back at their base, as he and the rest of the group watched what the body camera Allison had on her was catching. "Well isn't that just fantastic," Allison replied one moment before she made a turn and finally she arrived at the alley where she will be meeting the dealer. 

Allison got in just as the dealer man finished loading his gun and as he was tucking it inside the gun holder under his long leather coat. He looked tall, yet very skinny. The place smelled of hallucinogenic herbs, the type almost everybody smoke around this town, and Allison tried her best to not show on her face how badly it smelled. 

The man turned around, and the moment he noticed her he couldn't help but scoff with a smirk.  
Allison hated going out wearing a skirt and tights instead of just pants, but the guys in the group couldn't stress enough how her looks can be a way to distract the man from her true power. At least with Vanya officially being a part of the group she's not the only girl anymore.

"They sent you?" The man asked in a tone of surprise, but Allison chose to stay quiet and only talk when it's necessary. "Not much of a talker huh? That's alright doll, " he said as he checked her up and down. Allison was starting to get impatient, and she really didn't want to fuck this operation up but lord, was he making it difficult.

"But I don't hand off the product unless you show me the money first." He said, and Allison sighed before slowly putting down the suitcase she was holding and kicking it towards him. 

"You think he's going to fall for it?" Vanya asked warily as she watched the happening on the screen. "Don't worry, Allison's one badass girl. I've seen her punch Cha cha in the face when she was 15, she'll be ok." Diego assured her and Vanya nodded, yet she still couldn't shake away the normal fear that something can still go wrong.

The man smirked as he looked down on the suitcase as he went to open it, but he most definitely did not expect to get sprayed with a strange smelling liquid as soon as he opens the suitcase. The man yelped in surprise as the liquid made him drop the suitcase and groan from the sudden burning feeling he felt. 

"Ugh! What the fuck is this?! I swear to God if y...if you don't ha...ve my...money." The man's speech slowed down as the drugged water he was sprayed with got into his breathing system. He collapsed down to the ground breathing heavily, his body slowly turning limp and making it impossible for him to get back up. It was now Allison's turn to smirk under the mask she was wearing as she marched up to him.

The man suddenly seemed scared, with the effects of the drug taking away every bit of control he has over his body. The drug will eventually kick in fully and he will pass out, but Allison didn't quite feel like waiting for that to happen.  
"W-who are you?" The man asked in a low and shaky voice, but he didn't get any reply before Allison punched him so hard he got knocked out cold.

"Can't move or speak...who's the doll now?" Allison said as she took the suitcase the man brought and opened it. Luckily enough the suitcase did contain the contacts, and back at the base, a collective sigh of relief could be heard from all of them. "Good job Allison, now come back quickly before he wakes up," Vanya said and Allison did just that, leaving the stupid man behind.

"Holy shit Allison, that was awesome!" Luther congratulated her as she walked into their base, and the smile on her face grew even bigger as the others clapped and cheered.  
"Oh stop it, if it wasn't for Klaus's drug we wouldn't have been able to do this operation," Allison said as she handed the packed contacts to Vanya, who was making grabby hands like a baby with crazed eyes and a winning smile. 

"Why yes Allison, my contribution to this operation has been great and I can't possibly imagine what you guys would have done without me in the group," Klaus replied with a sense of pride which Diego could only scoff at. "Yeah right! if it wasn't for Vanya for designing the squirting thingy for the suitcase there won't be any need for you to get that drug in the first place." He said with his usual condescending tone. 

"Let's just agree it was a team effort and stop the bickering so I can..." Vanya paused mid-sentence as she pulled the case of the contact lenses out of the many protecting layers they were wrapped in.  
"Look at these babies!" The group huddled around Vanya as she held them gently as if they were the world's most expensive piece of art. 

"Wow, this is...surprisingly underwhelming," Klaus remarked and immediately went to the corner of the room where he knew there would be a much more entertaining thing for him to do more than just look at- a stolen bottle of gin from the bar upstairs. 

"Just you wait Klaus, these lenses are going to be the best thing to ever happen to this group. I just need some time to test them and soon enough we could use them for our own good." She replied with a small smile as she kept staring at them, feeling the years of anticipation finally being satisfied. The group around her disappeared as each gave her a pat on the back or words of encouragement, yet Vanya remained where she was standing, still overwhelmed with the sight of the lenses in her hand. 

"I'm going to make these lenses my bitch..." She whispered under her breath. 

※

It took Vanya a week and a half until she managed to create her greatest creation so far- the illusion chip. 

"All you have to do is put this chip on your clothes and the person within a radius of 6 feet from you will see you like the information we store on the chip. simple as that." Vanya explained with a proud grin, feeling happy about still being able to contribute to the group without having to be a black belt. 

"Wait, so how can this help our plan?" Allison wondered, and Vanya couldn't help but let the proud smile grow even more.  
"Great question Allison! Luther, remind us all what the plan is?" She asked as she leaned against the wall, crossing her arms with a look of anticipation. 

"Well, since Cha cha informed us about the news that Reginald will be making a pact with the 'Athens of America district' by marrying his right hand in the army and the daughter of the governor, we will kidnap the governor's daughter from the car she will be brought in and demand anything we want for her...only we didn't quite figure out how we're going to do it yet," Luther said as he scratched his neck. 

"Well, we do now. Imagine this: Allison and Klaus," she started saying as she turned around to look at them, "It's the daughter of the governor pf 'Athens of America district' we're talking about, so it's safe to assume that she will be picked up by one of Reginald's drivers. you two will assume the identity of the driver and pick her up, only to bring her all the way to the border, and from there to our base." Vanya explained and the proud smirk she had on her face became even bigger as she saw the impressed stares on the faces of the others. 

"And Diego and Luther will use the chip I have right here to look like soldiers and sneak into the mansion, so they could prevent from the inside any attempt to save her as long as she's still in the realms of the woods beyond the borders."

"Wait, and what will you be doing?" Diego asked, trying his best not to show how truly impressed he was. "Well, since I can't go out on missions due to obvious reasons, I'll be waiting in a van we hopefully have the money to loan, where I'll be operating the whole thing. We'll need devices such as heart monitors, blood pressure monitors, body cameras for all of you, and a broadcast device so I can see it all happening in real-time, also earpieces so I can communicate with all of you."

The group switched skeptical looks, opening and closing their mouths like fishes as if they have things they want to say yet they're still trying to find the right words to use. "Vanya, that's a really good plan but..." Luther started, but Vanya immediately jumped in. 

"I know you guys think it's probably too ambitious and that we might not be able to pull it off, but in the short time that I got to really know you all I realized more and more each day that we are capable of much more than we think we are and I honestly think that if ee stick to the plan, we can do it big time!" Vanya looked at them warily, hoping they would think of her plan as good enough to execute. 

Truly, she just wanted to find out what happened to Five, and Ben, and all of those who fell victims to the army. With every day that she feels so close and yet still so far to finally finding out she wants to cry, scream, lose all control and go back to a simpler time when they had each other, but the Umbrella Group brought her closer than she ever was, and she knew that she couldn't lose them. Not now.

"Well Vanya, what can I say..." Allison started saying as she got up from the chair she was sitting on, "I could only wish that you would've joined us much sooner." She finished the sentence with a smile and a small laugh as she pulled her in for a hug which Vanya gladly returned. 

"I agree, sometimes it really feels as if we all share one brain cell," Klaus said as he joined on the hug, making Vanya giggle. "It might not be easy to get all of these devices, but it's worth the shot," Luther said as he also joined in on the group hug. 

It took a few moments until the group turned to look at Diego, who stood near the improvised boxing arena with his arms crossed over his chest. They all gave him knowing smiles as Luther and Klaus opened their arms as if welcoming him in, and Diego couldn't help but roll his eyes and groan as if the act of joining in on the group hug physically pained him, yet he did so regardless, making the others cheer and laugh as they all hugged. Vanya sighed in contentment as she let the feeling of love and unity wash over her.


	5. Chapter 5 | pt.1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY I have reached the most important chapter of this fic so far, but the will be a part 2 to this one also, so stay tuned.  
> Like I said, I suck at updating.but in my defence, I had to be quarantined for two weeks just for being in the same room as a confirmed covid-19 carrier, and so all of my test got delayed. Now I've had some more time to write so I hope you'll find it enjoyable still.

"I spy with my little eye, something... Green."  
"Is it a tree?"  
"Yup."  
"Congratulations Klaus, you have officially achieved maximum creativity."  
"Well, it's kind of hard to be creative when we're literally driving through a forest filled with trees," Klaus complained as he crossed his arms over his chest and turned away from them in his seat like a little kid would do when he's angry. 

Vanya didn't know how a serious mission like the one they went out to do is supposed to look like, but she definitely didn't think it would begin with a game of "I spy". She looked at the back of the van from the passenger's seat with her mouth slightly open in what could only be described as total amazement, feeling like it was too weird and at the same time like it was totally normal. 

A small sound of astonishment escaped her lips as she felt the locket she always has around her neck in her fingers. It's kind of torn and she always has to change the string it's attached to because it keeps falling off of her neck, but in it is the only picture Five and Vanya ever took together on an old disposable camera, so she can't give up on it. She knew bringing it with her might not have been the greatest idea, but the sentimental thought of carrying Five with her might give her the determination she needs to ace this mission and find out where Five is.

"Klaus's right, there aren't a lot of things you can look at without the game becoming repetitive. Let's play a different game." Allison tried to suggest, yet Luther eas quick to stop her. "Too late, we're already here," Luther said as the most Reginald's mansion came into view. 

"Holy shit..." Vanya let out quietly as they all stared in disbelief at what is actually the fanciest structure they have ever seen. 

The mansion was about two stories high, with too many windows to count, which let the soft glow of the warm lights from the inside light out the outside sky that were starting to get darker. The mansion took so much space with its many rooms, that if it were to be placed in their home town it would take the place of at least 10 apartment buildings. The grass which led to the mansion was the greenest the group has ever seen when it wasn't in the depths of the first after the rain. 

As much as the sight was intriguing, it still managed to make a heavy feeling form in the chests of every single one of them. 

"That fucker gets to live in a house like this while..." Allison trailed off, hatred coaxing her voice. "...while people are dying on the streets and live in moldy run-down buildings." Vanya finished what Allison started, only she sounded more sad than angry. 

"Nothing in life is fair if we want justice we need to take matters to our own hands," Diego said in determination, and the others couldn't help but agree.   
Luther managed to park the van once he found a dead spot where the security cameras couldn't reach, and they all sighed at the thought of what's ahead. not in fear of it, but in anticipation and hope. 

"Are you all set?" Vanya asked as she turned on the monitors in the back of the van, and watched as one after the other the bodycams the group was wearing were showcasing on-screen. They all nodded as they put the last of the devices they needed, such as the heart monitor sensor and blood pressure sensor bracelet and their chips. 

"We all know what to do, we got this," Luther said as they all looked at each other before they finally made their way to where their parts of the mission will begin. 

Vanya stretched her arms, letting a few cracks come out of her joints. She sighed as she put the earphones over her ears and turned on the microphone she will be talking to the others with. 

"Luther and Diego, do you copy?" She asked, and the two confirmed they indeed were copying from the other side. "First of all, you need to find two soldiers and get rid of them," Vanya said and watched as they sneaked to what seemed like the back door. They crouched along the walls leading to the back door, trying not to get caught by the heavily armed soldiers guarding the door. 

"How are we going to get rid of them?" Luther asked in a whispering voice as Diego looked around him for something to throw. Once he found a medium-sized rock, he threw it with all his might to the furthest point from them, which made the soldiers switch confused looks before going to investigate the noise. 

"Follow me," Diego whispered as they sneaked behind the soldiers, and once they were right behind them, they each took a soldier into a choking hold. The soldiers fought against Diego and Luther's hold, trying to reach to the guns they have in their holsters, but they were too late once Diego and Luther broke their necks, killing the soldier's on the spot. "I was hoping for more of a fight from 'Reginald's soldiers' but alright," Diego said in an amused tone, smirking at the bodies lying at their feet. "What now Vanya?" Luther asked as he spun the body of the soldier he just killed so it would face him. 

"Scan their faces with the lenses so I can update the chips, and you also need their uniforms, so don't forget to switch your clothes before you get rid of them," Vanya replied, as she watched the happenings on Allison's body camera as she and Klaus sneaked towards the garage where the car is most likely parked. 

Allison stood guard as Klaus broke the lock to the garage door. "C'mon Klaus, hurry!" Allison urged Klaus as she looked around nervously.   
"I'm trying, it's been a while since I- oh no wait! I got it." He replied as he slowly opened the door, looking out for any person on sight. "The coast is clear. How about we just take the car?" Klaus asked and Allison agreed, but just as Klaus looked for anything thin and sharp to unluck the car with, their plans changed just like that. 

"Hey, what the hell are the two of you doing?!" A man with a black suit and a strange looking hat yelled as he got in from a different door, one that connects to the inside of the mansion. Allison and Klaus looked at each other with slight panic on their faces, before Allison smiled a big smile and turned to look at him. "Oh, it's actually funny that you ask because-" before the man could expect it, Allison took his head in both of her hands and slammed it hard against the nearest wall, making him fall unconscious to the ground. 

"Quick, take the keys, and let's get going." Klaus rushed Allison, who did as he said and ran towards the car. After opening the car, she was about to get into the driver's seat but stopped in her tracks. "What are you doing?" She asked Klaus, who was about to enter the passenger's seat. "...what fo you think that I'm doing?" He asked as if nothing was wrong, and Allison couldn't help but give herself a facepalm. "You're supposed to hide in the trunk."

Klaus looked at her as if she was insane. "What? When was this stupid decision made?!" He complained. "She's going to suspect something is wrong if she sees two chauffeurs, and it's better off if I am the chauffeur because we both know you have a way with saying dumb shit at the wrong place and at the wrong times." She reasoned, and it took a few moments for Klaus to sigh in defeat as he went to open the trunk of the car and climbed inside. 

"Just so you know, I hate you." Klaus said as flashed her with his "goodbye" tattoo, making her smile. "I love you too, buddy." She replied as she closed the lid of the trunk on him and finally got into the driver's seat so she could start driving. 

The car was much fancier than any other car Allison has ever witnessed, with leather seats that aren't torn, and a radio that actually works. "Allison, do you copy?" Vanya asked, and although the signal is kind of lacking due to her getting further away from the van, she could still hear her through the earpiece. "Yeah, I copy. What is it?" 

"According to Cha cha, the GPS directions are already set, so just click on that small monitor in front of you and chose the setting named Gabriella Strickland." Allison thanked Vanya as she tried her best to handle both the new technology and the driving. 

"Hey Allison, want to play 'I spy' again? I'm losing my shit in this trunk." The muffled voice of Klaus came from the back, making Allison giggle. "Can you even see anything from there?" She asked, trying to jeet the laughter away from her voice. "Nope, it's pitch black. A little flashlight would have been nice, or a candle."

"Don't worry, according to the GPS we're only five minutes away from where we're supposed to pick her up, and from then on it's only a matter of time before you're out if there," Allison assured him as she made a sharp turn on the road, feeling the car shaking from Klaus's impact with the sides of the trunk. "I hope so because I might be tactless, but you're a bad driver." He remarked, making Allison roll her eyes. 

Not so long after, Allison found herself driving towards another fancy house, which is around half the size of Reginald's mansion, where a gorgeous lady stood in a dress Allison could kill for, accessorized by a bright red purse along with Ruby necklace and earrings. "Now Klaus, stay very quiet, or else we're screwed," Allison warned before she stopped the car right in front of the lady, and waited. 

It took a few moments of confusion on both sides until Vanya filled in the blank for Allison. "Umm, I think she wants you to open the door for her..." Vanya speculated, and Allison tried to make her eyes roll as invisible as possible, before getting out of the car with the biggest fake smile she had ever made. 

"Sorry Ms. Strickland, It's my first day on the job," Allison replied as she opened the door to the back seat, only for the woman to scoff at her and not actually say anything back. Allison was quick to get back to the driver's seat with the main objective of getting as quickly as possible to the border. 

The ride was quiet at first, as Ms. Strickland kept messing with the necklace she was wearing, probably a habit that grew up on her, as she seemed to be doing subconsciously, even as she looked out the windows at the yellow, orange, and red trees surrounding them. 

"So Ms. Strickland, are you excited about the engagement?" Allison asked as she started to dread the awkward silence that lingered. "Why yes, I am. Daddy always knows what he's doing so I knew my engagement with the chief commander would be a wise choice for the 'Athens of America district'." Ms. Strickland replied, suddenly letting herself realize that she has a female chauffeur. 

"I'm surprised they gave me a female chauffeur, it doesn't seem like a job for a lady." The lady said, making Allison almost panic at the realization that she's not seen as what the chip she has on her is supposed to show, which is a male chauffeur. "I-umm..." Allison stuttered, not sure what to reply with until Vanya's voice filled her ear. "She's not from the army so she doesn't have the contact lenses. Just say anything."

"Well Ms, we get closer to equality each day," Allison said, making the woman suddenly laugh full-heartedly as if she just told the funniest joke ever. She laughed so hard that she even reached a point in which she had to fan at her eyes to stop the tears from escaping and ruining her makeup. "You are funny! That's a good one, 'getting towards equality', yeah right."

It took Allison every bit of self-control she could master so she won't open the door to the driver's seat and jump right out of the car while it's still moving. 

"Wait a minute, aren't you supposed to be wearing a chauffeur's uniform?" Ms. Strickland asked, crossing her arms over her fancy red dress in suspicion. "Umm, it's a different case for female chauffeurs miss." Allison tried to reason as she looked at the woman from the rearview mirror, yet she didn't seem convinced. 

"I don't think that's true, every worker such as a maid or a chauffeur needs a uniform, that's the only way in which they'll know their place."

"Well, it is different from male chauffeurs miss, they didn't give me any uniform, only a car, and the car's keys." Allison said right before she made the same sharp turn she did on her way over to Ms. Strickland, making the car shake the same way as Klaus's forgotten body got tossed in the trunk, making him let out a loose "fucking shit" that Allison seemed to be not hearing or ignoring entirely, unlike Ms. Strickland, who heard the voice and chose to play it off as random objects in the trunk moving around. 

"...right..." The replied as she turned to look outside of the windows again, trying her best to ignore the gut feeling that something was ...off at the moment. 

And a woman's gut feeling is always right.


	6. Chapter 5 | pt.2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit it took me a while to release these two chapters but here it is part 2 everybody!  
> I hope you guys will like this, it's my first time actually attempting to write graphic violence, so beware of that throughout the chapter (don't worry, there isn't any Gorey stuff, just the good ol' punching, and kicking). enjoy!

Diego and Luther could both finally let out a deep breath they didn't know they were holding as they dumped the nearly naked bodies of the soldiers behind two big bushes around the pool area. 

"C'mon, let's get inside," Luther said and soon enough the two were inside. "So...what exactly are we supposed to look for?" Diego asked as the two walked through an empty corridor with marbled floors and wall lamps spread throughout the entirety of the hallway. The hall had four additional doors to the one they just entered from, two on each side. 

The two suddenly got tense as a waitress opened the closest door to them from the left and got out moving a cart which held a huge tower of what seemed like doughy spheres with a white substance and a dark brown sauce topping it all. But the waitress didn't seem to notice or to even care about their presence, as she simply turned the cart and moved along the long hallway. 

"Look for anything suspicious, if a great movement of soldiers is happening, or if someone mentions Strickland's name in a weird way. Just do all it takes to prevent anyone from stopping Allison and Klaus." Vanya explained and the two switched glances of concern before letting out a sigh. "Well, let's see how everything is doing, I guess," Diego suggested as the two walked the same way the waitress did, which led them to a staircase leading upstairs. 

As they walked up the stairs, it seemed less like a staircase and more like a separator between two different worlds. one who's cold, with shiny, black and white marbled floors and white fluorescent lights, and the other who's warm, with red carpet and gold decorations and yellow glowing lights. 

"Holy shit..." They said in unison as they looked at the amazing interior. The tall ceiling was painted with the map of the entire "Concrete jungle district", and according to it the property which belonged to Reginald was right in the middle of it all and took about a quarter of the whole district. 

The first floor was littered with dining tables, covered with shiny white table clothes and the prettiest of cutlery already set down on the table. Two staircases from two different sides of the room, fused into one staircase which led to the second floor. Two big banners came down from the second floor with Ms. Strickland on the left banner and a man who's apparently the chief commander of the army on the right. 

But something seemed strange for Luther. 

"I don't know why but...does he seems similar to you?" Luther asked as he turned Diego's attention away from the huge table of exotic foods towards the banners. It took a few seconds for Diego to reply with a shrug. "I mean, he looks like any other guy I guess. Nothing out of the ordinary." Diego answered, and Luther could do nothing but ignore his initial thought. "Let's explore some more," Diego suggested and the two went off to survey the first floor. 

In the mid-time, back in Allison's car, the awkward silence was about to drive her crazy. She tried to turn on the radio, only to be denied by Ms. Strickland who remarked how she "hates every type of music that has been existing before the last decade." Suddenly the silence was abruptly interrupted when a ringtone rang from Ms. Strickland's bag, followed by the loudest and most annoying shriek Allison has ever heard. 

"It's Pinkieboo! Hellooo?!" She asked in an over-exaggerated cheery voice, making Allison almost vomit. She tried her best to listen to what the person said on the other end, yet she couldn't hear anything. 

"Oh I'm fine, they brought me a female chauffeur, could you believe it?" She said with a surprised smile, which Allison couldn't help but notice once it started fading as her "pinkieboo" kept talking on the other end. "The weather? is kind of hot, to be honest." Ms. Strickland answered, at which Allison held the steering wheel tighter and tried her best not to show how she was getting stressed. 

How can she say it's hot if it's the middle of October? She literally has a fur scarf wrapped around her shoulders as she's saying that. 

"You already drove here yesterday, is the chauffeur doing the same route as yesterday?" Diego and Luther heard a voice saying as they got closer to a little hidden corridor which led to an office of some sort. They looked inside to see no other than Reginald Hargreeves himself, sitting behind a big desk, and with him was the chief commander fixing the cufflink on his left sleeve while frowning his eyebrows in concern. 

"Gabriella, I want you to listen to me very carefully...hum if you understand me." He started saying, and that alone was already a huge red flag to their plan. "If you feel like you might be in danger, just say the safe word and I'm on my way." He urged as he looked at Reginald and he looked at him back with a matching confused look. 

There was a moment of silence before the chief commander let out a muffled "shit" and assuring her that he is on his way, then sighed as he hung up.

"Gabriella is being kidnapped, some other woman in driving in the chauffeur's car, probably so she could take her away somewhere else. I'm going to save her." The commander said as he grabbed his suit jacket and turned to walk out of the room, making Diego and Luther walk away from next to the office so they won't get caught. 

"Shit, this is bad! This is very very bad!" Luther yelled whispered, trying to hide his panic. "Just calm down for one second! Vanya, did you catch this?" Diego asked and got a reply soon enough. "Yes, I did. Don't let the commander out of your sight, join him if you must." Vanya said urgently. 

"Hang on a moment, this is your engagement party, just send somebody else to do it. It's not like there aren't any soldiers willing to risk their lives for their chief commander." Reginald suggested as he took a crystal bottle filled with what seemed like whiskey and poured it into a matching crystal glass. "True, but Gabriella needs to know I have her back if we want this pact." The commander said with a small smirk as he finally exited the office, passing by Luther and Diego without giving them a second glance. 

Diego and Luther looked at each other quickly before walking towards him. "Mr. Chief commander sir!" Luther yelled as he tapped the man on the shoulder and then took a step back. The commander turned around looking fairly pissed, and he raised an eyebrow once he took a closer look at the soldiers saluting him. "...yes?" He asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. 

"Umm...We couldn't help but notice that you're taking over work on yourself when it's your special event, sir, so we would like to accompany you." Diego said, hoping that the doubt he felt about this whole thing wasn't visible on his voice. The commander kept looking at the two back and forth before he uncrossed his hands with a sigh. "Fine, let's go." The commander said right before turning around and walking towards the garage, where his own personal car was waiting, and the two were quick to follow. 

"Hello sir, where will you be-" the commander's private chauffeur started saying right before he was cut off by the commander taking the keys from his hand roughly and opening the car on his own. Luther and Diego switched worried glances before getting into the back seats of the car. 

"Allison, don't freak out but Ms. Strickland alerted the chief commander that's she's being kidnapped and he's on his way towards you. don't stop what you're doing, just drive faster and hope Luther and Diego will be able to stop him." Vanya told Allison over the earpiece, making her almost let out a cuss word in frustration. 

Allison did as she was told, hoping that this won't affect Klaus who's in the trunk all that much. 

They drove for about 15 minutes in uncertainty about what should they do before Luther formed a plan. A plan that is so stupid because it is stupid, but it might just work. 

"Ehh Mr. Chief commander sir!" He shouted and saluted again, making the commander flinch and almost deviate from his path. He turned around to look at him in annoyance, same to Diego who had no mind-reading abilities and therefore knew nothing of Luther's plan. "I uh...I-I really have to pee..." Luther uttered, making both the commander and Diego look at him as if he was dropped on his head as a baby. 

"Seriously soldier?!"  
"It's really urgent Mr. chief commander sir." Luther insisted, making the commander let a groan as he gave himself a facepalm. "You don't have to call me this long-ass name every time! Chief commander is enough, and you can hold it in soldier." The commander waved him off as he picked up speed.  
Luther looked at Diego in panic before Diego found a small bottle of water near his feet. 

"I really can't Chief commander!!" Luther yelled after Diego spilled some on his crotch, making it seem as if some just leaked out. "Fucking damnit!! Get the fuck out!" The commander exclaimed before he stopped with a loud screeching sound right in the middle of the road, making Luther exit the car and run to the side of the road. The commander looked at Luther in total disbelief as a scoff escaped his mouth. 

"I think I need... to go as well, chief commander," Diego said as he got out of the car as well.  
"I don't know what to do man, maybe we should just...take him out?" Luther said as he zipped up his pants, making Diego question whether the whole "saying I have to pee so he would pull over" shtick was so he could actually pee. 

The two were just about to go back to the car when they were suddenly met with the commander, who was standing right behind them with a smirk that could only be described as dangerous.  
"Umm... Hey there, chief commander! H-how much of this have you he-" Luther was about to ask just before the Commander grabbed him tightly by the collar. 

"I don't know who the two of you think you are, but you have chosen to mess wrong-" the commander started saying as he walked forward, making Luther go backward until his back was met with the car.  
Hard. 

It was like time around them slowed down, as Luther and the commander looked at each other- one with a look of fear, and one with a look of total confusion.  
"What...the...hell?" The commander whispered as he witnessed a living glitch happening right in front of him, with Luther's face blinking in and out of existence. His eyes shifted quickly over Luther's face, who was too afraid to move a single muscle. 

Diego, in the mid-time, was watching from the side as the situation escalated, also confused and scared about what he should do, but the feeling of as if the tension was so high that it could be cut with a knife only confirmed it more for him; it was now or never. 

The commander did not suspect a thing as Diego sneaked up on him from behind, and just as he wasn't expecting it he grabbed him closer before wrapping his arm around the commander's neck, choking him. The commander coughed and struggled against Diego's chokehold, making him only tighten his grip on his neck. "Umm Luther, a little help perhaps?" Diego urged him as he kicked the back of his right knee, making him lose his balance and fall to his knees on the ground. 

Luther started at Diego with wide eyes as the face of the commander started getting redder by the second. "Y-you mother fuckers are gonna p-pay for thi-" the commander started saying before Luther punched him in the face, then did so to his stomach, making him groan loudly. 

Luther looked back at Diego, who had a victorious grin on his face, one that Luther couldn't help but return back, but that small moment of distraction for them was enough for the commander to slowly take out a small bat from under his suit pants without them noticing. 

The bat was first met with Luther's knee, which made him yell at the sudden feeling of pain as he doubled over to the floor, grabbing onto his knee with gritted teeth, but that was not the last of it though, since right as he was at the same level as the commander, he hit him over the head with it, making him fall to the ground, unresponsive. 

It happened so fast that Diego had barely any time to react, as the commander slammed the back of his head to Diego's nose, the sudden pain making him groan and loosen the grip that he has on his neck, right before falling to the ground. 

The commander fell forward as well, coughing and holding onto his sore throat, but the coughs turned into laughter as he found himself impressed with this attempt of whatever they were trying to do. 

"You guys could have been great as soldiers for the army of Reginald," the commander started saying as he got up on his wobbly feet and walked over to Diego. The commander could only assume that the same thing that happened to the blonde man happened to the other man as well since in front of him was another pair of glitching faces, each looking at him with fiery eyes as the man rubbed the aching bridge of his nose. "If it wasn't for your misguided belief that the fight was over before it had even begone." The commander in a cocky manner as he rubbed any access dirt and dust off of his suit with a smirk. 

"Oh, it will be soon, now that I know what I'm dealing with," Diego replied, his voice full of spite as he quickly got up and put his fists up, willing to kick the living shit out of that man, who managed to annoy Diego even more with the way he was just standing there, arms crossed in front of his chest, waiting on him to make the first move. And Diego did. 

A roar escaped his lips as he ran towards him, his right fist just about to land a good punch to his cheekbone, only for him to effortlessly move to the side and escape it in the nick of time, making Diego punch the air and almost fall down from the momentum he took. After stabilizing himself he spun around, only to find the commander nowhere to be seen. He let his guards down for a moment as confusion filled his every thought. 

"Hey." Diego heard from behind him, feeling himself almost losing his cool at the sound of how calm the commander's voice was.  
That cocky piece of shit.  
Diego spun around quickly, ready to finally make him shut up for good, but he definitely did not expect to see the commander's face in such close proximity to his, and especially did not expect for him to grab the back of his head and slam it hard on the car window, making glass shards go everywhere, including some on his forehead. 

Diego yelled out in pain as he was thrown off of his balance onto the ground, his vision getting blurry from the impact. "You two fuckers are lucky that I have an important place to be at, or else you two would have been dead." The commander said as he looked at his wristwatch with a frown, and these were the last words Diego has heard before all he could see was black and he passed out on the side of the road, while the commander drove away from the scene. 

Back in the van, Vanya was speechless as she watched the scene unfold through the body cameras. For some weird reason, she never got to see the commander's face, but that didn't matter to her as she watched Luther's and Diego's asses being handed to them by this faceless man. She was breathing heavily from the effort of yelling through the microphone, hoping to wake the two up, but when nothing worked all she was left with was panic and despair. "Shit...shit, shit, shit!" Vanya muttered before she spoke to Allison's earpiece. 

"Allison! Luther and Diego failed! The commander is on his way to you, just drive as fast as you can! I repeat, Luther and Diego failed!" She shouted, her breathing quickening as she looked back and forth between the monitors showcasing the heart monitors on both Luther and Diego. She knew she had to do something about this, so quickly enough she took the earphones and the mic with her to the driver's seat, where she struggled with moving the car back on the road from the fear of being detected, which made her even more stressed as she listened to microphone attached to Allison's earpiece. 

"Fucking shit!" Allison yelled-whispered as she looked at Ms. Strickland through the rearview mirror and she noticed that she was looking back. It was a moment of realization for Ms. Strickland, as she saw no point in hiding her fear since she doesn't have to act as if everything is normal. 

Allison sped the car, now going way over the limit. The GPS shows that they're 15 minutes away from the border, where Cha cha is waiting to help them get back into the town safely. Allison was so focused on driving that she almost didn't notice Ms. Strickland's attempt at escaping, as her hand traveled slowly to the door's handle, ready to pull it and jump out of the moving car. 

But 'almost' is the keyword in that scenario. 

"Hey!" Allison said as she quickly pushed the button that locks the back doors. "Sit your ass down or this will be much harder for you!" Allison said as she looked behind her at the scared lady, turning around just in time to see a car parking just in the middle of the road, making her abruptly press hard on the breaks and for her to almost hit the car. 

The commander took out his gun from the holster in the back as he got out of the car. Allison sighed before getting out of the car and quickly locking the doors. They walked towards each other, with his anger contrasting Allison's surprisingly calm demeanor considering her fast heartbeat and sweaty palms. 

"Bring me back the governor's daughter, and I might just spare your life." The commander said, a shit-eating grin plastered on his face as if he could see how truly frightened she was right through her brave act. "Yeah? Like you did with my other teammates back there? Yeah right, you're full of bull." She said as she clenched her fists at her side, noticing how the grin slowly turned into a frown. 

"Underestimating my power will be your downfall, lady." He let out with a snarl as he pointed his gun towards her, now closer to her more than before. 

"Same here." Allison distracted him with a charming smile before she kicked her booted leg high, making the hand that's holding the gun let it go and for it to go up to the air.  
It was like time slowed down as the two turned to look up at the gun, which was the perfect time for the commander to push Allison backward, making her lose her balance and fall flat on her back, almost hitting her head on the hard asphalt of the road. 

It took only a few seconds for her to refocus, her instincts kicking in just as the gun landed back on the road, which she quickly kicked to the side of the road so it was out of their reach. Their plan is just about to go very much wrong, and she knew that shooting the commander or killing him might just do more harm than good, considering how important he is to Reginald Hargreeves. 

She moved her legs in a helicopter movement as she rose back to her feet, only to get immediately punched once in the nose, and twice in her stomach, but she was quick to return the favor and even avoid some of the punches he tried to land. 

She focused on his legs, kicking his shins and thighs strongly, and if he would just stop moving she would have also hit him right in the crotch. It went on for a while, the two of them either bleeding from their noses or from their mouth, every once in a while they quickly have to pause so they could spit out some of the blood that keeps pouring, as they lean forward with their hands on their knees, wiping their mouths with pained groans. 

They stopped for a breather after what felt like forever. It was hard to determine who has the upper hand, but neither of them seems like backing down from this fight. 

"You can do this Pinkieboo! Kick that rebel scum's ass!" Ms. Strickland suddenly shouted from the closed car in a tone that is far from lady-like or civilized, making Allison's eye twitch as she turned to look at her. "I can't wait to waterboard you 'prickland'!" Allison shouted as she looked at her with spite, distracted enough so she doesn't see the commander stepping up behind her, and then suddenly he moved his leg in a swung kick directed at her feet, which made her legs move forward as she was flying through the air and ultimately landing on her back, now actually making her head hit the asphalt. 

Her vision turned blurry as an unfathomable amount of pain gathered at the back of her head, almost disabling her of her instincts. Then he gave her one kick to the stomach, followed by two more, and the best she could do was to squirm away as she whimpered and moaned in pain. But the kicks did not prepare her for when he put the sole of his boot on her neck and leaned in to put more pressure, very close to crushing her windpipe if he goes too harshly. 

Allison could only let out choked curses at first, which then turned to pleads as she could almost sense her face losing color, sense her lips turning blue slowly as he increased the pressure on her throat more and more. "If you want this to end..." He started to say and stopped to groan in pain from his own injuries (he might have the upper hand now, but it's not like Allison made it easy for him). 

"Give me the damn keys." He said as stared at her pained glare back with a smirk, confirming Allison's fear about not having enough time until she'll finally succumb to the chokehold he has on her, about knowing that the thin line between life and death that she might cross today is by the hands of a lunatic, who's stuck too far up the ass of a bigger lunatic. 

She shook her head as much as she could, not wanting to ruin their plan. She knew she wouldn't be able to live with the guilt that would follow, how she failed doing her part. It was pretty obvious what would happen to them all. They would take them to prison and execute them all, hopefully in the quickest and painless way possible, and not be chosen one by one to burn at the town square, unless they would get tortured in prison first, which makes Allison think that every death, no matter how harsh it may be, will still be a sweet release from what she has to endure while she's in there. 

He puts even more pressure in reply, making her whine as a single tear rolled out of her eye. 

"Allison! Just do what he says, it's not worth it!" Vanya screamed into the microphone breathlessly. It was a very difficult task to load the bodies of two passed out heavy men to the van on her own, especially since she has a petite body, but she knew that abandoning them on the road and going straight to Allison and Klaus will only leave them exposed to be taken captive, perhaps by an unknown call the commander did for backup, she just couldn't let that happen. 

Allison looked at the man and gritted her teeth in anger as she used one of the hands that attempted to hold back the commander's foot so she could dig into the pocket of her pants and fish out the keys, throwing them as far as she could to her right. The commander dropped the foot from her throat and quickly ran for the keys, making her cough and rub her sore throat. Each deep breath she took pained her, as many of the kicks he directed for the stomach, ended up hitting her ribs and sometimes even her diaphragm. 

The commander quickly unlocked the car, and soon enough the annoying voice of Ms. Strickland was shrieking in its full blast, not helping the massive headache she got from the lack of oxygen. The world around her was slowly but surely got back to normal as her sight get clearer and she could hear words here and there, but she still couldn't hear what the commander and Ms. Strickland were both on about as she kept hugging him and kissing him shortly on the lips like a lovesick teenager. 

Allison turned on her stomach as one important detail popped into her head amidst the mess of blurry vision and muffled voices. 

The gun was still laying by the side of the road. 

She crawled on her stomach as fast as she could towards the gun, trying her best not to arouse the attention of the newly reunited love birds. She was so close, her fingertips gracing the cold metal of the gun already, until all of a sudden the gun was picked up just before her eyes. A whine of frustration escaped her lips as she turned to look up at the lunatic commander, who looked at her back with a crazed smile before hitting the side of the head with the grip of the gun, which acted as the last straw as her exhausted body finally gave in and she passed out. 

Vanya's left hand instinctively rose up to her face to wipe the tears that she didn't even notice were streaming down her face. She was terrified of the whole ordeal, she was so scared that she couldn't even see the light at the end of the tunnel of it all. 

Klaus is the only one who isn't totally passed out, and even though Klaus is a sweetheart that she loves from the bottom of her heart, she can't help but doubt he would be able to fight the man who beat nearly to death two grown men and one skilled woman on his own and actually win. But he was her only hope.  
"Klaus? Can you hear me?" She asked, and soon enough his voice replied, with stress and fear visible on his tone more than ever. 

"I'm freaking out Vanya, this man is a beast, I can't fight someone like this!" He yelled whispered, still crumpled up inside the trunk of the car. "That's why you should run. Just run into the woods in a straight line and never stop! I'm on my way to you, just try not to get killed. Do it now!" She yelled into the microphone, and just like that Klaus kicked the top of the trunk with his feet popping it open and surprising the two love birds as he did so. He ungracefully fell from the trunk and stumbled on his steps before he ran as fast as he could deeper into the woods. 

Klaus looked back every once in a while, only to see the commander running effortlessly towards him with a look of determination in his eyes. He turned back to look in front of him, hearing a shot getting fired and seeing from the corner of his eye a dry piece of wood falling out of a tree near him just where the bullet hit the trunk of it. 

His right hand held the earpiece in place as he started screaming. "Please, Vanya! Come faster, please! I'm too young to die!" He shouted as four more shots were heard, each getting g closer and closer to him, but not enough to actually hit him. 

Until one did. 

It was the final sixth shot that hit him on the left shoulder from the back, making him stop in his tracks. Perhaps it was the sight of blood or the realization that he has actually been shot for the very first time, but Klaus found himself falling to his knees, and then landing on the left side of his body, straight on the wound. 

"Klaus!!!" Vanya screamed as the sound of the horrible gunshots echoed in her ears through the earphones. She could only hope that he didn't die since she was driving and therefore unable to look at the monitors still working in the back. She had just turned around a corner when she could suddenly see from afar the car Allison drove in, and her body laying limply on the road. She knew she needed to help her, but Klaus might have been shot and will probably need her help more. 

She parked the car far enough so she could not be seen by Ms. Strickland who waited by the car, and as she got out she quickly ran to where the portable GPS she brought with her showed Klaus's location. 

It was at least five minutes later when she finally saw in front of her the body of Klaus, not moving. She choked out a "no!" As she ran towards him even faster, flopping right beside him once she reached him. "K-Klaus? Klaus stay with me!" She whispered with a shaky breath as she took off the long-sleeved shirt she was wearing so she could put it on his bleeding wound. As she pressed the fabric tightly she noticed him flinch slightly, which made her sigh in relief. "C'mon, we have to get you out of here." She said as she took Klaus's hand in hers and put it on her shirt so he could press on the wound. 

She was about to get up herself when suddenly she felt it.  
The cold pressing of a gun barrel to the back of her skull. 

"Put your hands up and turn around slowly. You're under arrest." A deep voice told her, and her vision blurred at the realization.  
She was screwed.  
She lifted her hands but didn't dare to turn around. "I-I'll come with you no problem, but I need to save my friend, h-he's losing a lot of blood." Her voice was shaky as she said those words, attempting to stop the tears that threatened to fall. It was no time for crying, she needed to be strong for Klaus, for all of them. 

"If I cared about your little friend here I wouldn't have shot him in the first place, now turn around before I shoot him again, and this time I'll aim for his head." Vanya could practically hear the sneering in his deep voice, and the thought that this was his comment regarding a human life did nothing but frighten her even more. 

She was going to be taken away by a psychopath to a place where who knows what might be done to her there, Klaus is going to die of blood loss in the middle of the woods and she has no way of knowing if Allison, Diego, and Luther are okay. This whole plan has derailed to a point of no return. 

The feeling of defeat crushed her as she realized she has nothing else to do but to comply, so with a heaving sigh she turned around slowly looking at the expensive seeming leather shoes of the commander. She slowly looked up, to see the pants of his expensive suit dirty with dust and dirt and ripped in some places. 

As she kept looking upward she did not miss the drops of blood decorating his wrinkled white buttoned-up shirt that was half untucked in a manner that suggested it was a result of the multiple people he had to fight against. 

And finally, she reached the face she could finally see, the face of the man who overpowered two strong men and a highly skilled woman all on his own. The face of the commander. But she already knew this face. 

The tears she has been trying to keet at bay finally escaped as her breathing stopped for a moment just as her heart skipped a beat. Her lips wobbled pathetically as her entire body started to shake. No, it can't possibly be. 

"Five?"

But the man did not reply as he flipped the gun in his hand with a nearly blank look that left the emotion to his eyes only and hit the side of her head with it, knocking her out cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I BET YOU GUYS KNEW IT WAS COMING! After all, why won't I give the commander a name this entire time? If I managed to surprise you and shock you then I'm glad because that was my intent, it's just super obvious lol.  
> I hope the fight scenes were convincing enough and that you found these two parts interesting!


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was feeling inspired so I started writing this fic at midnight and it took me almost all day. 
> 
> ⚠️WARNING FOR GRAPHIC VIOLENCE IN THIS CHAPTER ⚠️

2102

It was a normal day, as long as you forget about the fact that it wasn't.  
It was a warm, sunny day, unlike the day before that, which seemed to suit the typical "concrete jungle district" even more. 

Vanya was getting impatient as Five led her out of the woods, her hand intertwined in his sweaty one, the place he's taking her to remaining a mystery to her. 

"Five..."  
"Were almost there, it's just around the corner." He said as they passed by the store that belongs to Ben Min's parents and walked into the alley right next to it.  
"At least tell me where we're going." She whined when suddenly they stopped in front of a big trash can. 

"We're here." He said, his face attempting to seem mischievous, but a weird sense of worry makes the corners of his smile to lower and to a small drop of sweat roll on his forehead. Vanya turned to look at him with confusion. They were having so much fun in the watchtower, did he really bring her all the way back just for a trash can? 

"Five, what is this?" She asked, half confused and half annoyed, her hands crossing in front of her chest as she leaned on one leg. Five let out a tsk and rolled his eyes. "Open it." He said and shoved his hands into his pockets, not before wiping the palms on his pants. Vanya sighed and opened the trash can lid with a grimace. 

The disgusting smell made Vanya squint her eyes and back off, but when she pinched her nose and looked back inside, she most definitely did not expect to see

"Dolores?" Vanya asked with wide eyes as she turned to look at Five, a small smile that he couldn't hide was plastered on his face. "Why is she in the trash can?" Vanya tried again with an amused grin. "I-I guess...I realized I hopefully won't need her anymore." He replied as he looked everywhere but at Vanya, his heart beating like crazy in his chest. 

"Wait...what does that mean? Does Five have a little crush?!" Vanya crossed her arms again, her grin now becoming more teasing as she has never seen Five so nervous before.  
He was always under control; when they were caught stealing vegetables from the market a couple of years back, or when they ran into Cha Cha and Hazel on the street. He was nervous before, but not like _this_.

Five started blushing a Vanya let out a laugh, and then proceeded with saying in a sing-song voice "Five has a crush! Five has a crush!"

"It's you!" Five yelled, a heavy sigh following as he finally looked at her, his timid, little Vanya. "I like you, Vanya. I always have, and probably always will. You are one of the things that make it worth living in this shitty town and I can't hold it in anymore." 

Vanya was shocked, her mouth opening and closing in a search of words, as her heart started beating just as strong as his. The tension was so visible he could almost touch it, and a feeling of dread inside him expanded like a ball of snow rolling down a hill. 

"Y'know what? I-I'm sorry about that, you obviously don't feel the same way, can we just-can we...forget about this?" Five started rambling as he scratched the back of his head, his eyes were blinking furiously in a futile attempt to stop the tears from falling. 

"Five wait!" Vanya finally spoke as she put a hand over his shoulder, looking into his eyes where a tear just fell, escaping his eyelids before he could do anything about it. "I k-know I didn't say anything straight away, but my silence doesn't mean that I..." She paused mid-sentence as she moved the hand that lay on his shoulder and took his hand instead. "Don't like you back." She smiled as her eyes sparkle with upcoming tears, her smile growing even bigger as his expression changed from one of sadness and despair to one of shock and happiness. 

"You are smart, loyal, and you're always there to protect me from everyone and everything, and if it wasn't for you I probably would've been dead a very long time ago," Vanya said and Five sighed with a big smile as he brought her in for a hug. Vanya laughed as she borrowed her face in the space between his neck and his shoulder, while he breathed in the smell of the berries she finds in the forest and puts in her home-made shampoo, a smell that is so... Vanya. 

They both turned to look at each other's eyes after a while with the biggest smiles on their faces, but Five couldn't help but lower his look to Vanya's pink and soft lips, the same lips he wished he would feel every time that he kissed Dolores. Their smiles faded as they realized what that stare meant, and slowly but surely their heads got closer, as Vanya switched glances from Five's eyes to his lips, noticing how she liked it when he licked them. 

They were so close, practically breathing each other's air, when suddenly a huge crashing noise was heard from the main dirt road, followed by screams of horror. The pair backed off immediately, switching worried glances before running to the edge of the alley. 

Five peaked his head out from the alley, first the sight of people running and blood trails left by the runners, and when he took his head out more he could finally see it. Soldiers getting out of big trucks, carrying the biggest guns Five has ever seen. They took out anyone who dared to be in their path and grabbed every young boy the could find, loading them to the trucks. Some were ripped from the arms of their protective mothers, which only made a bullet go right through their heads. 

"F-Five? W-what is this?" Vanya asked with a shaky voice, but five was quick to shoosh her as he tried to focus. 

He looked around some more when suddenly he looked right into a soldier, who noticed him and started walking his way. "Shit, fuck!" Five cursed as he turned back into the alley and grabbed Vanya's hand as they ran the opposite direction. "Five, what's happening out there!?" She yelled, now truly scared. 

"Soldiers are kidnapping young kids! We have to go!" He replied as they ran inside the complicated ways of the alleys behind the buildings and the stores. They were just about to enter the back door of their building when all of a sudden it bursts open, a soldier dragging a young boy by his legs. They tried their best bit to scream as they turned around in their tracks, running the opposite way to a different building, only for that to happen again, this time they were not as quick as to run without being seen, and soon enough the found themselves running forward, to the same alley they came from, two soldiers hot on their trails. 

They were halfway through when the soldiers grabbed Vanya by the shoulder and shoved her back with a force that made their hands separate. "No!" Five yelled in panic as the two were grabbed by the soldiers, switching glances of fear as they were pulled apart from each other. 

She screamed as she fell back, and just when she was about to get back up she found herself trapped under one of the soldiers, who put his knee on her back and held her hands behind her back, making it almost impossible to move. 

"Don't touch her, you assholes!" Five screamed, which only earned him a punch to the face that knocked him to the ground with a groan of pain. "Five!!" Vanya screamed as she had no choice but to watch him being beaten senseless until his body was limp with barely any ability to shield himself or fight back. He bled from his nose and his mouth while Vanya cried out, calling his name even though the knee on her back was making it hard for her to breathe. 

"No! Stop it! Five! FIVE!!" She screamed as the soldier dragged his weak body away from there, her sight blurry from the tears she was crying, but the blurry sight turned black when the soldier used the back of his gun and hit her on the back of the head, turning her unconscious. 

Vanya groaned in pain when she finally woke up, a hand going to the back of her head where she felt the most pain, and when she brought it back she couldn't help but shudder at the sight of her blood coated fingertips. 

Feeling weak, she turned on her back with another groan, feeling tired even after a simple task just as this one. She breathed heavily as she looked up at the sky, which was a darker shade of blue that is usually visible right after the sun had fully set behind the walls of the town, which assured her that it's been a while since she passed out. 

"Mom? Mom!" The voice of a young girl was heard from outside of the alley, reminding Vanya of what happened just a few hours ago. She turned around back on her stomach and got up on her knees, even when it pained her to do so. 

One leg after the other, Vanya was finally back on her feet. Putting her left hand on the wall of the alley for support, she walked towards the main street, and a sob escaped her lips as she saw what remained. Bodies of men and women on the roads, small children crying next to them. Shop owners putting everything back after the soldiers probably wrecked everything. 

She got out of the alley and walked towards her building. To her relief, it wasn't that far away, because now she doesn't have Five to protect her anymore. When she finally arrived, she noticed Helena, Five's old caretaker, sitting on the small staircase leading to the entrance floor, her face numb to any emotions. 

"Helena..." Vanya whispered as she went to stand in front of her, hands shaking. Helena looked up at her, her face muscles not moving except for her eyebrows, which went up in questioning and a hint of fear. 

Vanya knew Helena her entire life, so by this point, she was an expert in reading her facial expressions, since she was never much of a talker. In this case, she was asking if Five was with her, probably because she couldn't find him anywhere. Even though it hurt her to think about what happned, she shook her head to say no, her lips wobbling as she started to cry again. 

A wave of weakness took over Vanya's body again and her legs gave in to the pressure, making her collapse onto her knees in front of the elderly woman. In an urgent need of comfort, she wrapped her hands around her, crying loudly into her shoulder. The woman in return, wrapped her hands around Vanya's body as well, rubbing a comforting hand over her back up and down. Her face remained indifferent as her lips wobbled as well and silent tears streamed down her face. 

2115

The first thing Vanya felt when she woke up was a wave of pressure on her skull, hurting for a moment and then stopping, only for it to return again. She groaned weakly as her hand automatically went to hold her head, but mid-way there something held her back. Her eyes were closed up to this point, and she could barely even open them fully, opting for a small crack instead. Her vision was blurry, but she could still see her still bloody hands resting on her thighs, a silver band on both wrists. 

It was only when she opened her eyes a bit more and when her vision became clearer that she finally noticed that they were handcuffs. Following the chain, she saw they were threaded between a small bow on a metal table. She tried to tug on them some more, whimpering as slight panic rose within her. Her throbbing head rose up and she couldn't help but wince at the brightness of the lights. 

"You're finally awake." A deep voice told in an amused manner. She rose her head to look around the room, and finally, her stare fell on Five, as he leaned on the wall near the door with his hands crossed over his chest, a proud smirk plastered over his face. 

She stared at him as he dragged the chair in front of her back and sat on it, intertwining his fingers and fiddling with his thumbs as he leaned back on the chair, studying her every move.  
She was afraid her head might explode at the amount of pain and the mix of strong emotions she feels.  
Anger, confusion, happiness, even love, all fighting for dominance in her mind, but in war, there are no winners, only losers. 

"It was clever what you did there, those...chips. I mean, the army of Reginald could always use smart and talented computer whiz people like you. I would've made them much smaller, perhaps even planted them in my own body for maximum protection." He said with a shit-eating grin, meant purely to taunt her for her failure. 

But she couldn't help but notice how "Five" of him it is to do so. Sure, with her he was in most of the times more kind than not, using it as a way for her to improve and do better the next time, which made her wonder why was he behaving this way? 

"Five..." She started to say, but her mind was a total mess with so much information she missed on over the years, that she didn't even know what to ask first.  
"To say that I wasn't surprised when you called me by my first name would be a lie, I must admit that you did catch me off guard, but at the same time, you and your crew must have made a big data check on all of us for this mission. Which reminds me," Five said as he got up from his seat abruptly, causing the chair to almost fall. 

"How did you guys do that?" He asked in a questioning tone, one that implies that if the answer won't be given willingly than it _will_ be taken forcefully.  
Vanya should be afraid, but she isn't.  
"I don't need to do a data check on you Five. We know each other, ever since we were young." She said as she turned to look up at him with half-closed eyes. 

Five rolled his lips into themselves with a smile, as if trying to stifle a laugh, before turning to look back with a hand over his mouth as he let out a scoff, and then started to laugh full-heartedly. Vanya looked at him heartbroken, trying to find a reason as to why would he behave as if she's a total stranger to him? Is it because she failed to help him escape those soldiers all those years back? Is this the way he chooses to make her suffer?

"I must say," he whipped a tear and let out a few more giggles. "People have said some crazy shit to avoid getting interrogated, but I haven't heard this one before. Your original, I like that, but enough is enough!" The man who cried from laughter just a few moments ago changed so quickly in front of her eyes, as his hand came down on the metal table with a loud bang and his face serious than ever. 

Vanya flinched as he did so, as she was never on the receiving end of his anger. Moreover, usually, it was the people who wronged _her_ that he so insisted on teaching a lesson. "I want names. Who are you people and what the fuck were you trying to do, coming in here?" He asked in a hushed yet stern tone, staring daggers back into her confused expression. 

What does he mean by names? They all grew up together, he knows who they are.  
And then it dawned on her. 

It was all a trick. 

Five must be doing a show for the security cameras so it would be believable when he would help her sneak out later. Of course! It's all so clear now, how could she ever doubt him for a single moment!  
The smallest of smiles rose on her lips as she stared back at him. His eyebrows joined in puzzlement as he noticed the smile on her face. 

"Why are you smiling?" He asked through gritted teeth as he leaned closer to her. "Well played Five, very well played." She whispered, barely moving her lips so no one could read her lips on the security cameras. "What the fuck are you talking about?" He asked again, getting impatient by the minute. "Not knowing who I am, who they are, I know what you're trying to do. You almost had me there for a second, that's funny. So when are you getting me out of here?" She asked as the smirk grew, but it only earned her a scoff of disbelief. 

He passed a hand through his hair as he walked back and forth, his fists clenching and unclenching as if he tries his best to hold himself from punching her. The smile on her faded as she has seen this behavior before.  
He was getting angry, and recalling back to her childhood, she could always tell when Five was lying, and something was telling her that now might not be one of those cases. 

"Un fucking believable... Get it through your thick skull!" He exclaimed as he marched towards her, stopping right in front of her with his finger poking the side of her head. "I don't know you besides your name and serial number, and I don't know your pals either, or else I wouldn't have been here with you having to explain this situation to you like you're three years old! And the only place I'll be taking you out if this room to next will be your jail cell, do you understand?" He said the last part in a hushed voice, and by now Vanya knew fully that he was not lying or playing around. 

The man in front of her was Five, but at the same time, he wasn't. Who the fuck is this stranger? A single tear fell out of her eye when all of a sudden she remembered a critical detail. 

"I have a way to prove it, th-that you, and I know each other." She said, her head suddenly back to being held high as her confidence came back. Five lifted an eyebrow in annoyance, mixed in with a bit of curiosity.  
He said nothing, yet didn't do anything else do show his dismay, so Vanya could only interpret it as her sign to continue. 

"Under my tank top, there's a locket. It is the only picture we ever took together." She said, noticing how his glance fell towards the tank top she was wearing, since the long-sleeved shirt she wore to the mission is still out there with Klaus, drenched in his blood. Five took one of the hands he leaned on against the table and trailed his finger off the string if it, before taking it out from her shirt. With one swift motion, he yanked it off, making her gasp and to her heart skip a beat with slight panic. 

This is the first time in years that the locket has been off of her, and somehow the fact that it was in the hands of the person she missed so much didn't make it any less stressful.  
Is he even the still person that she missed? 

He examined the locket in his fingers, noting the scratches on the metal. When he turned it around, the initials F + V were engraved in hand onto it. He opened it with his thumb, and he let out a gasp as in front of him a hologram of an old photo formed. 

There was a young girl there along with a boy, sitting on a log in the middle of the forest, smiling like they just won a competition. The boy was hugging the girl close and she in return put her head on his shoulder. 

Five held his breath as he stared at the happy boy in the picture. 

It was unmistakably him. 

A shaky sigh left his lips as he closed the locket and gripped it in his fist tightly. He looked back at Vanya who was leaning in with obvious curiosity, a glint of hope prominent in her eyes.  
Five breathed heavily as two sides of him seemed to be at war with each other. 

One side was confused at the sight of him as a young boy from a time in his life he does not remember with a woman he does not remember, while the other, logical, side of him was scolding him for believing the lies of a group leader, a rebel scum, who probably knew she had a chance of getting caught so she fabricated the whole thing in the slight chance that it would help her get away with her actions. 

Being a soldier in Reginald's army has taught him to go with the latter option, to always suspect any information given to him, so in anger, Five threw the locket on the floor and stomped on it, making electronical noises come out as the hologram got beaten and destroyed. 

"No!" Vanya screamed as she looked at the broken memoir that always reminded her of simpler times with tears streaming down her face. "Guards, get her the fuck out if here! I've had enough of your lies you rebel scum." He hissed at her with venom in his voice as two guards burst into the room, freeing her handcuffs from the table as she struggled through the whole thing. 

"No, wait! Five you have to believe me, please! This is real, this is all real, I don't want to lose you again!" She screamed desperately as she was dragged forcefully away from the interrogation room. Five clenched his fists once again, bringing one of them close to his mouth and biting on it, almost making himself bleed. 

She's a liar.  
A rebel to his ruler.  
She shouldn't be able to get into his head like this.  
Then how come she can still do it? 

"Mr. Commander!" A soldier called from the entrance of the interrogation room, and if it wasn't for Five's ability to keep his cool, he would've snapped that soldier's neck just so that he would have something to distract him from his tormented mind. 

"Sir Reginald has summoned you to his office." He said, and Five could only sigh and rub his palm over his face before making his way to Reginald's office. 

To say that Reginald was displeased would be an understatement. After Five came back with Gabriella, she insisted that the show must go on and that they shouldn't stop the party just because a group of inadequate idiots tried to kidnap her. 

Of course, she wanted it because she can gather the guests around her, and tell how brave she was when it all happened or how strong Five was when he fought them back, but that's just how Gabriella is in these events, she can't help but be an attention seeker. 

Five on the other hand knew what he had to do. Going back to the masses in the party and acting as if nothing happened would be foolish after he managed to come back with a criminal. Reginald argued that this is his party, that he can let other soldiers do the job, but Five only scoffed at that, as it was obvious that out of everyone in Reginald's army, no one is a better interrogator than him. 

But then again, that could be said on everything that he does. 

Five knocked on the open office door before coming in and closing it behind him. "You wanted to see me, sir?" He asked as he stood in front of his desk with his legs straight and his hands behind his back. Reginald didn't answer straight away as he twirled the glass of whiskey in his hands, staring into a mirror with a dark-marbled frame. 

"You took one person," he started, and Five sighed in slight regret.  
"Yes I-I know-"  
"When you had them all right under your nose and right in your reach." He said as he turned around back to his desk, putting down the glass in such a manner that the liquid went over the sides, droplets falling on the desk. "I know how it might seem, but she's not just a member of the group, she's the mind behind it all. Just give me a few weeks and I'll manage to extract all the information that we need." Five said as he got closer, earning a suspicious glance from Reginald. 

"Number Five," Reginald started, his tone softer than before. "Failure has no place in my army, especially not by the hands of someone like you." His face remained cold and distant besides a small movement of the eyebrow that made all the difference. like a red dot on a white canvas, his disappointment was visible, and it nearly crushed Five on the inside. 

"I'm giving you 10 days to get me the names of these criminals. Whether you find out or not, that criminal will be burned in her town square, you just have to make sure that out of her group, she won't be the only one. Dismissed." Reginald said and Five could only bow his head with a "thank you sir" before leaving to return to his private quarters. 

That night Five went to sleep early, the things he had to endure coming down on him like a huge rock, making him feel more exhausted than ever. But even after he fell asleep, the day didn't stop being weird, as that night he had a dream for the first time in years. 

That night he dreamed about a disposable camera, children's laughter, and a forest. Glimpses of a girl's face and smile and her long brown hair. 

Five didn't have a dream in so long he forgot what it was like, but something about that one didn't feel right. It was almost like it wasn't just a dream. 

It was a memory. 

He woke up with a startle, his body soaking with sweat. His heart was beating fast and he didn't even notice he was desperately hugging the pillow he wasn't using as if hoping it would hug him back. He looked around the darkroom and was relieved to see that he was alone. He sighed and rubbed the hill of his palms over his eyes, failing to miss the dampness coating them. 

In a way that was beyond his understanding, the first thing he thought of as he came down from the intense feeling he was having was the new prisoner, Vanya. As if his mind made a connection between the girl in his dream and her. In annoyance, Five took the pillow he was hugging in his hand and threw her to the other side of his bedroom as he muttered a swear word under his breath. 

Much to his dismay, His dream felt too real for it to be just a seed of an idea that she planted in his mind.  
Knowing fully well that he can't go back to sleep, Five knew right then and there. 

He had to find out more about Vanya.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case no one figured it out, Five's old caretaker is naned after an MCR song called Helena. Ever since I learned that Gerard way is the one who invented umbrella academy I like to sprinkle connections between TUA and MCR 🙌🏻


	8. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠WARNING⚠️  
> MENTIONS OF TORTURE IN THIS CHAPTER!  
> but besides that, I think the story is getting along pretty nicely!

Vanya doesn't know how much time have passed. Minutes? Hours? _Days_? All she knows is that time seems to be going by quickly and at the same time excruciatingly slow. 

She knew to expect it from the moment she was thrown in that cold, damp prison cell. She had the information that they needed, and just like Five said, if she won't co-operate with them and give them what they want, they will get it from her in other, much more painful ways. 

That's how she found herself naked as the day she was born, tied to a metal Rod with the only thing unbound to it being her head. On each side of the Rod were two soldiers holding her up in the air as a third soldier screamed questions at her. Her head was throbbing, salty tears mixing with drops of water on her face as they downed her unbound head to a tub of water whenever she didn't reply with the answers they wanted to hear. 

"You will give us answers, you rebel scum. Who are they?!" The soldier screamed at her again, and she couldn't let out anything but a loud, pitiful cry. Her nostrils were full of water, her wet hair weighing her heavy head even more, making it difficult to hold it in place. "Please...n-no more. I-I beg you please!" She let out weakly, a fresh batch of tears falling out of her eyes and onto the tub under her. 

Vanya tried her best to hold her head high, literally. She knew what she was getting herself into when she joined the umbrellas, and now she has to face the consequences. She kept her mouth shut, even bit her bottom lip so hard she almost drew blood in the process. Being undressed against her will was humiliating enough, being tied and partly drowned is not an easy thing to go through also, but the longer this torture went on for, she lost more of her fight. 

There were moments where it was almost unbearable. Moments where their names were at the tip of her tongue, ready to escape her mouth and let this torture end once and for all. She cried even more as she realized what she was about to do each time it happened.  
She hated herself, her weak body and morals, and it was this wave of guilt and disgust that coursed through her body that made her keep her mouth shut. 

"Oh Vanya Vanya, when will you learn? We can continue like this all day." The soldier said, an evil smirk visible on his upside-down face (at least from Vanya's perspective). Vanya could only hope she would die this time, she would let the water fill her lungs and the names of her dear team-mates will forever remain with her. 

But then someone knocked on the door. 

The evil soldier stopped looking at her and turned instead to the door, his expression changing from evil to irritated as he went to open the door.  
"What?" He said, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he waited for a reason that was good enough to interrupt what must be his "fun time" with how much he seems to enjoy it. 

She couldn't quite hear what the other soldier that knocked on the door was saying, her ears still filled with water and her head still pulsing painfully, but she couldn't help but get confused when the vicious soldier slowly let his arms fall back to his sides. 

He turned around to the two soldiers holding Vanya above the tub, his look was one of mild inconvenience and disappointment, as he told the words Vanya was waiting to hear for so long.  
"Put her down." The other soldiers took a step back and put her down on the dirty concrete floor. Her body was sore all over, but she needed to have the ability to relax her muscles so much that she paid no mind to the coldness of the floor. 

The soldiers worked on the ties binding her to the Rod, and she sighed in relief once she was finally able to stretch her legs. But the joy of freedom wasn't long-lived, when suddenly they pulled her wrists up, making her sit on her heels. One soldier put a blanket on her shivering, aching body, as the other put handcuffs around her wrists. They picked her up like a rag doll, as if her body wasn't heavy with exhaustion, from her upper arms, and together they all walked out of that godforsaken room. 

Under any other circumstances, Vanya would've screamed. She would've struggled against their hold or at least begged them to stop.  
But now it seemed that she needs to put all of her efforts into not falling asleep mid-walk, the physical and emotional toll she just went through tiring her up, almost consuming her whole. 

She looked through half-lidded eyes as the scenery around her changed from grey hallways and worn-out metal doors, to an elevator, which led them at least 5 floors higher. When the elevator door opened, Vanya's eyes winded at the obvious difference. The elevator was at the start of a hallway, which only led to one fancy door. The walls had the same reoccurring symbol in gold over a red wall. The floor was made of white marble, and a long, narrow red carpet led the way to the only door in sight. 

The soldiers marched forward, she was wobbling on her feet and sometimes even losing her balance, so she ends up getting dragged forward by them. Even though it might not seem like it, Vanya was more than terrified. The lack of knowledge on what's behind the door was making her shake in fear. 

Are they going to torture her some more in a more fancy place?  
Is she being handed off to another stranger for his enjoyment- or is it... No...  
Are they bringing her to Reginald? 

The soldiers knocked on the door, and the thought of attempting to escape crossed her mind, only for a wave of pain that coursed through her body to remind her that it's going to be nearly impossible in her position. 

"Come in." Said a muffled, male voice from behind the door. "N-no, please..." She pleaded weakly, knowing fully well that they won't simply let her go just because she asked them to. The soldiers walked in, and Vanya frantically looked around the fancy room. 

The room maintained the same theme as the hallway, with red and gold being the most prominent colors. The bed was like Vanya has never seen before. It was a big double bed, with a clean blanket and at least 6 pillows, all in red and gold. The carpet on the floor was soft beneath her bare feet, which only reminded her she was still naked under the blanket they wrapped her in. A fireplace was located on the furthest wall from the entrance, with two armchairs in front of it. 

The soldiers walked towards the fireplace, and Vanya couldn't help but fear the possibilities of what they can do to her revolving this fireplace. But her fear turned into confusion when one soldier left her side so he could stand in front of her, only so he could take her right hand out of the cuffs. The soldier who held her steady shoved her down to the ground, making her groan in pain as she landed on her ass forcefully. Then before she could do anything about it, the same soldier who took out her right hand connected it to a loop on the side of the fireplace. 

Feeling panicked, Vanya tried to tug on the cuffs with no luck. She was about to either yell for help or start crying for the millionth time that day when suddenly the sound of a nearby door opening was heard. 

"That will be all gentlemen, You can leave now." The man they heard before said, and once the soldiers moved away from her field of view she saw no other than Five, leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed against his chest and a small smirk on his lips and Vanya stared daggers at him in return. 

Ever since what happened when he interrogated her yesterday, Vanya didn't know how to feel. She wanted to be by his side and talk to him, just so she could satisfy the urge and yearning she felt all these years, and at the same time, she felt hurt and mad. So mad that she wanted to see him just so she could punch him in the face.  
It seems like this is her normal state ever since she saw him- mixed emotions fighting for dominance over her heart, leaving her to deal with the consequences.  
"Why am I here, Five?" She found the courage to ask as he slowly walked towards one of the armchairs, his steps slow and deliberate. 

She stared at him, waiting for an answer, as he finally sat down comfortably, one muscular leg on top of the other. He gave her his best attempt at hiding his smirk as he put his arms over the arms of the chair comfortably. "Are you cold?" He asked her back, ignoring her question entirely. Vanya's mouth opened and closed in utter disbelief. Did he really just ask her that? 

"Cold? Oh no, I'm totally fine after the hell I've just been through when I'm fully naked, in a cold basement, in fall. I'm actually _very_ warm." She said in her best sarcastic tone, letting some real anger slip in as well. Five sighed with a small smile at the sound of her tone, as he got up and went into his walk-in closet. 

Five had an on-going disagreement with Reginald and Gabriella about whether he actually needs it or not. Reginald has always been one to go for luxurious things, whether it be a piece of furniture or the option of having everyone else do things for you, and Five could only assume that Gabriella was pushing him into agreeing for said closet just so she could benefit from it as well when she visits him. Five doesn't wear a lot of clothes other than his uniform, but he found himself agreeing to build it in his room anyway in order to appease with his boss and fiance, both being the most major pushovers in his life. 

Vanya followed him with her eyes as he did so, and when he came back he held a particle of clothing in his hand. "Here," he said as he showed her a black, long-sleeved shirt. "You can have this on."  
Vanya looked at the cuff on her wrist then back at him in puzzlement. "Are you aware of the fact that I've currently attached to your fireplace or..."

Five rolled his eyes with a sigh as he walked towards her. "I'll let your hand free so you can put it on. But you will do it here, where I can see you." He said as he Bent down and took out of the pocket of his pants a small key. Vanya stared at him with wide eyes. "I-in front of you?" He turned to look at her right after he unlocked her handcuffs, their faces surprisingly close to each other. "There's always the possibility that you might escape. I can't leave you alone, it's too risky." Vanya looked away from his burning stare with a blush. 

"A body is a body, miss Vanya, and we're both grown adults, we can get past that without making it weird." Five said as he went back to sit on the armchair, arms crossed over his chest.  
Vanya couldn't help but mentally scoff at that. Everything about this is weird! Earlier this day she was tortured, the boy that she loved is all grown and nothing like himself, without any recollection of who she is as if she's a stranger to him. 

Vanya sighed as she realized she had no choice but to do as he wishes, so using the last remains of her dignity, she let the hand that held the grey blanket she was covered with close to her chest falling down to her lap, revealing her breasts and perky nipples out to the cold. She looked everywhere but at Five, who looked straight at her. It made her heart clench in a weird way. 

This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. It was supposed to be after he came back a few years after he was taken. She would be the first thing that he goes to look for and they make sweet love as they resume from the moment they stopped that horrific day, like it all never happened. 

But he didn't come back. And she had lost her virginity to a guy that looks like Five from the back. It was someone else's cock inside her, yet all she could see, hear, and feel was him. So when she opened her eyes after she came down from her high she was actually surprised to see the face of a random stranger on top of her. She pushed that man off of her with panic and left his place with tears streaming down her face, the struggle of crying quietly when all she wanted was to scream made it hard for her to breathe. 

That was the last time she ever did something like this, the knowledge that any other guys she would date or fuck will be nothing but replacements made her reject the idea of dating entirely. 

She quickly put on the shirt, trying her best to suppress the memory of that night. She sighed in relief as she could feel comfortable again, with the blanket covering her naked bottom half and the shirt covering her other half. Vanya couldn't help but sniff the air as she realized that the shirt smelled like him, tingling parts of her brain with memories of that smell from the past, and also doing other things to her with a hint of a certain musk he must have developed over the years. 

A sigh of relief came out of her mouth as she leaned her head against the edge of the fireplace. Finally, she was feeling comfortable. But at that moment she realized something. 

She's not supposed to be comfortable as a prisoner. Why was he doing all of this?  
"You didn't tell me why I'm here." She reminded him as she opened her eyes but remained where she was, with her head leaning on the edge of the fireplace. 

Five sighed with a small smile as he realized he won't hear the end of this question unless he'll finally tell her.  
"To be completely honest, Vanya...you amuse me." He said as his smile turned into a smirk, and Vanya couldn't help but scoff with a mix of disbelief and hurt. 

"The lengths you are willing to go to make me believe your made-up stories, it's quite impressive. You see," he said as he got up from his chair and walked the opposite way from her with hands behind his back. "I was a field soldier for 10 years, four of them I was the chief there, the boss, the one in charge. And war, miss Vanya," he stopped in front of a portrait of him in his soldier outfit, coincidentally standing in front of it the same way he posed in the portrait. "War is a tough bitch. You see things that never go away...things that haunt you and change you forever. When we were out in the field, we weren't ourselves. We needed entertainment, anything to remind us that we are human!"

Five turned around to look at her, a smile forming on his lips even with the subject matter at hand. "And now I'm back here. Away from the warzone, away from danger, and yet sometimes it can feel as if I never truly left. A part of me is left there somewhere, and I can't help but still need to feel...human." The smile has faltered by this point, his eyes questioning and angry, but questioning no one in particular. She knows this look from when they were young, and in a certain way it comforted her to know that he's not a total stranger. 

"And funny enough, when you told me that story I was actually amused, the first time in a while that I let myself recall to it and simply laugh." He said the last world with a small smile, and Vanya didn't know how to feel- is this a joke? Is she a joke to him? Is he telling the truth? Why can't he remember her? She wanted to ask and say so many things to him but nothing ended up getting out into the open, leaving her with nothing but frustration. 

"...What do you want me to do about it?" At last, she opted for this question, still feeling anger at his total and utter contempt. 

"I want you to tell me another story." He said and sat back down on the armchair yet again. "If you know me so well," he started with a cocky smirk, "tell me another story about me." 

This time it was Vanya's turn to smirk. 

He probably thought she would stutter, that she would look around the room desperately for something to make up in her mind, but now was her time to shine. Her time to show him how she's currently the one to know him better than he knows himself. 

"Fine, if you wish for a story so badly I'll tell you one. Would you be interested to hear about the origin of your name?" She asked, and did not fail to see the tiny raise of his eyebrows. "Sure, enlighten me." He said as he gestured for her to go ahead. 

"It all started when an old woman named Helena walked in the forest near our town when all of a sudden she heard the cries of a baby. She walked towards the sound and found a young naked boy wrapped in nothing but a cloth, all alone. From that moment on, she decided to take care of him." Vanya started telling, feeling a certain wave of energy coming back to her. 

"I'm assuming that baby is me." He said with amusement prominent on his voice. "You are correct. She was old and never had kids of her own, but you were not the first child she raised, but actually the fifth-" Vanya was stopped by Five who let out a scoff, rolling his eyes with a smile. "Yeah right, very original."  
Vanya looked at him with narrow eyes and a small smile of her own. "Yeah yeah, she called you Five because you were the fifth child she raised. But one thing I didn't get to say because you _interrupted_ me, was that back in the "glory" days, when the wars never stopped and people were fighting for their lives, she got badly hurt, emotionally and mentally, so she could barely speak. She never lost her ability to love, but she was a broken woman. She called the kids she adopted by different nicknames, but when everyone asked her what your name was she said Five because that's all she could say out loud."

"Now hang on a second." Five interrupted her again, making her roll her eyes with a sigh. "How did I learn to speak if she barely spoke?" He asked with a smirk as if thinking that now he will catch her off guard, but Vanya again only put a smirk of her own on her face, since she obviously knew the answer to that. 

"Well, everybody in the neighborhood knew Helena as the lovable and harmless old lady, especially the neighbors she had living in the apartment across from her, a small family of three. The mother helped her with the baby a lot when he was young. The father taught him everything he knew before he passed away himself and the daughter was his best friend...That daughter was me." Her smirk turned into a smile as she recalled the days when they were young and naive, the hardships of the world were nothing for their little brains to worry about as they spent their time playing pretend. 

"How was I like...as a kid?" Five asked, this time with the amusement completely gone from his voice. Vanya let out a quiet chuckle, her smile turning one-sided as she reminisced their journey together.  
"You were...cocky. Very cocky." She started with a smile, making Five smile slightly. "When someone told you that you couldn't do something, you would do whatever it takes to do it and do it _good_. That's why you got injured all the time." She said the last part with a giggle, remembering how grumpy he looked when her dad patched him up every time he injured himself because of another crazy idea that he had. 

"What else?" He resumed asking, finding himself leaning forward in his seat.  
"You were always...alert. The town we lived in was not a friendly one, that's for sure. You were always willing to protect the people you loved. To protect me. We were..." She raised her eyes to look at him, except it looked more like she was looking _past_ him as if looking through a wormhole to the past, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. "We were inseparable, nothing could take us away from each other. You were different with me than with others, you... You never yelled at me, you were never angry with me. You were nothing but gentle and..."

She stopped mid-sentence before she said the one thing she has been thinking about since yesterday.  
_and now you are anything but gentle. You are not the Five I know_. she wanted to scream this thought at him, but something in her stopped her from doing so. It's easier when he's being a total dick, but now he's not laughing anymore, no remains of mockery or amusement remained, just a look of a knowledge-starved man, a man who's hiding his broken self under a mask of cockiness, just like when they were kids. 

She sighed as she closed her eyes tightly, her head shaking from side to side as if trying the shake the pain away.  
Five looked at her, failing to hide the look of confusion on his own face. 

"Let's go to sleep."

Five said at last after a long stretch of silence. Vanya raised her eyes to look at him again, and this time she did seem to look at him, straight into his eyes.  
Five usually hates when it happens, this whole eye contact thing, because like people say, the eyes are the windows to the soul. Knowing that people can sometimes tell what kind of person you are just from looking into your eyes has made Five, forever the paranoid, to avoid it at all costs. 

But this time it was different. 

It felt like home, like peace. A warm feeling in his chest made him think... He missed this. Like he once knew this feeling, and now he's feeling it again, without having any recollection of something that he is missing. 

Well, until now. 

-

When they finally went to sleep, Five had another dream. 

He saw a rocking chair, Strands of white and grey hair clutched in a tiny fist and mischievous giggles. The old lady smiled at the boy in front of her, her only means of communication.  
He could almost feel the warmth of her body as she hugged him tight to her, wrinkly hand on the side of his head, purposely located over his ear, so he won't hear the horrors of the outside world. 

He was safe.  
He was loved.  
He was young and _innocent_.  
Now he is nothing of those things. 

It was the realization of it that woke him up. Just like yesterday, he jolted up from his sleep, quickly getting up to a sitting position, a course of adrenaline flows in his body as if a fight or flight response has been activated. He breathed heavily, as salty tears streamed down his face. 

Helena, His caretaker.  
She was as kind as she was mute, the reason he was still alive, he could see her in his mind so clearly now. He clutched the flesh of his chest, as a weird, warm feeling came from his chest. He turned to look at Vanya. 

She was leaning against the wall of the fireplace, her legs closer to her body than before, with the hand that isn't cuffed being wrapped around her knees.  
He heaved out a sigh as he lied back down, now turning to lay on his right side so he could look at her fully. She must be feeling uncomfortable, but at the same time so exhausted that she could fall asleep anywhere at any single moment. 

He lied to her, he couldn't help but lie. He was never amused by her story, only confused and slightly afraid. If she found out how it truly makes him feel, how it messes with his mind, she would have the upper hand, and he couldn't let that happen.  
She's still his prisoner, even if the lines are starting to get a little blurry. 

The adrenaline refused to go away, and Five was unable to go back to sleep. So instead he looked at her, his one piece of peace. By this point he knew he was fucked, the only thing remaining to ask was-  
Where will he go from here?


	9. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't updated in a while but I'm making up for it by giving you guys a loooong ass chapter, so I hope you'll like it ❤️

It was at 6 AM when the alarm clock started ringing. Five, who couldn't fall back asleep after the dream he had and ended up looking at Vanya all night long, pressed the "Dismiss" button with more aggression than he should have, dread filling every fiber of his body. 

It has been a year since he was returned from the battlefield indefinitely, becoming the chief commander who controls everything from behind the scenes. At first, he let out a sigh of relief. 

no more does he have to be an emotionless killing machine, no more guilt over not wanting to be that kind of soldier at all times like Reginald has taught him to be. But soon enough he was proved to be wrong. 

The job consisted mostly of meetings. So many meetings. The effort of sitting on your ass and listening to everyone suggesting you how to do your job as they attempt to not pee in their pants from fear of being in your presence alone can drive any calm human being to insanity. 

Today an exchange is occurring, in which the current field soldiers return into the district and are replaced with a new batch of soldiers. It's Five's job to welcome them back, to give them some big inspirational speech about ideology and trust. It was the thought of that that made him groan in annoyance and go deeper under the covers, craving his sleep back. But he knew it wasn't possible, so with a false wave of energy coursing through his body like a placebo effect with a fake sugar pill, he finally got out of bed to get ready. 

After taking a shower and putting on his formal uniform, Five was ready to be seen in the outside world. He turned around to look at Vanya for the last time, and deep down a certain voice in his head that wanted nothing but to stay here in her presence screamed for attention. But Five knew he had to tune out that voice, his responsibilities are too great to toss aside. 

It was only 07:00 AM when Five came down to the first floor of the mansion, but the roaring conversation almost convinced him otherwise. The soldiers chatted among themselves, smiling and chuckling, and Five couldn't help but let out a small understanding smile at the relief they must be feeling. For now, they don't have to kill anyone unless something unusual happens inside the district, which seems unlikely, but as Five witnessed himself nearly three days ago, anything can happen. 

"Right? Yeah...oh shit!" A soldier that stood relatively close to Five stopped mid laughter as he noticed his chief commander, standing with his legs spread and his hands behind his back on the second step of the right staircase. The soldier tapped the one he was talking to on the arm before standing up straight with a solute. The soldier he was talking to did the same once he noticed Five's presence, and as a beautiful wave, more and more soldiers started soluting as they noticed what the fuss was all about. 

The room grew quiet as Five looked on at the loyal soldiers, the knowledge that he could not speak or move for a while and they would still wait for his approval made him smile in pride. "Morning, gentlemen." He finally greeted, his voice creating a great echo that even the soldiers in the very far back could hear him clearly, all due to the soldiers not letting out a single sound. 

"Good morning sir, chief commander sir!" They all yelled in unison, creating an even bigger echo that could only be described as music to Five's ears. "Gentlemen," he started again, slowly walking down the stairs as he did so, soldiers stepped backward in a hurry as he walked into the crowd. "The concrete jungle district can't thank you enough for your devoted service in the fields, you can be sure that thanks to you all, our home is safe. But," he stopped in his tracks in the middle of the room, his hand raised in the air to emphasize his upcoming words. 

"Our job is far from being done. Your return to the fields is inevitable, so use your time back in here wisely, and that means to train and to serve. And for those who are leaving for the fields today, we wish you the best of luck and to not fuck this up." Five continued and the soldiers laughed, even though deep down they all feared what might happen to them if they won't do well out there, whether they would die out there in the fields or by execution- either way, they end up 6 feet underground. 

"Reginald and the concrete jungle district are counting on you all, so keep up the good fight, and don't you dare to be cowards. Did I make myself clear?" Five finished his speech with a solute, which was returned by the same chant the soldiers chanted before. 

"Dismissed." He finally said and the soldiers were back to their conversations and laughter. Five couldn't give a damn about what his soldiers were talking about as he walked towards the only person he truly cares for around here.

"Hey, soldier!" He yelled at him from behind. The soldier turned around in a startle, only to let out a chuckle mixed with a sigh of relief, shaking his head in disbelief at how he let it happen again even though he knows that Five does it every time. "You scared the shit out of me." He said as the two of them walked in for a hug, which was a normal thing for them by this point, always being super close to each other from a young age. 

"Hello to you too, Ben."

Ben rolled his eyes with a smile as they broke the hug. "...How was it?" Five asked Ben with a tone that resembles a whisper, his eyebrows turned in a slight frown. Ben sighed deeply, and he didn't have to say anything for Five to understand him exactly. 

Since the beginning, it was always the two of them. From when they were just rookies to when they had to serve out of the district, they were there for each other. When Reginald first saw the potential in him, he knew what he had to do to earn Reginald's praises and attention. Just like how everybody was, he never played fair, he was smarter than the normal 15 years old teen and was a skilled fighter from the start. The only one who came second to him was the same one he couldn't bring himself to hurt, Ben. 

He was a kind-hearted kid, and he is still a kind-hearted man, but when you have to go out there and kill people for their submission and lands, they simply won't get along. That's why Five was promoted while Ben was left behind. His soft heart was not a good image for the chief commander of Reginald's military. It was thanks to Five and how much he mattered to Reginald that he managed to keep him in the fields instead of someplace for misbehaving soldiers, where he knew he would lose his mind. 

"Well, nothing a glass of bourbon can't fix, huh?" He said with a barely noticeable smirk, making Ben chuckle. The duo made their way towards Five's private office, located right next to Reginald's. He spends most of his days stuck in his office, whether it be meetings or unnecessary paperwork- Five keeps swearing that if he sees the olive green wallpaper in his office he might just barf. 

Once they stepped inside, Ben didn't waste another second, going to sit on one of the armchairs at the corner of the room, loosening his tie and heaving out a sigh as he did so. Five smiled an understanding smile as he poured bourbon into two crystal glasses, a couple of ice cubes in each glass. 

"Forget about it, what matters is that you are here now." Five said with encouragement as he handed him one of the glasses with one hand, while the other laid on his shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. "Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry I haven't been keeping touch in a while, I heard that you are getting married to Gabriella, fucking finally, man!" Ben replied with a smile, taking a sip of his bourbon then wincing, yet from the corner of his eye, he couldn't help but notice how the smile that Five returned was not the smile he should be smiling when the subject manner is his wedding to the girl he has been promised to ever since they were in their late teens. 

"Yeah, I can't even think about a wedding now when all of this crazy shit is happening around me." Five said as he rubbed his face in despair.   
"Crazy shit?"  
"Something happened on the day we celebrated our engagement, some group of delinquents nearly kidnapped Gabriella and I went there to stop them. I managed to overcome them all by myself but I only took one group member instead of all of them, so Reginald gave me a hard time about it, and now it's just complicated and-"

"Wait a minute, I'm sorry, who did you take?" Ben asked curiously. "Some woman from town 043." Five said dismissively, but Ben's eyes suddenly opened wide, his mouth opened and closed quickly before he ultimately locked his jaw in place.   
"W-what's her name?"  
"Does it matter?" Five said as he sat down on the other armchair next to Ben's, loosening his tie as he leaned more backward. "Yeah, I-I'm interested." He said and Five sighed before letting his head fall back and rest on the inside back of the armchair. "Vanya Starilova. Speaking of which, she needs to be taken to questioning-"

"I'll do it!" Ben suddenly exclaimed, getting up from his seat in a hurry and nearly startling Five. "Why are you so invested in this?" Five asked as he crossed his hands in front of his chest, his eyes squinting in question. Ben muttered random noises before replying. "Uhh, no particular reason. Just wanted to help my chief commander!" He said with a nervous chuckle, and Five, who knew what meeting came up next, couldn't help but lean into excepting Ben's offer, no matter how weird he was being about this. 

He sighed with his arms on the arms of his seat before replying.   
"Fine, if you want it so bad. Take her to interrogation room number 7."   
Ben held back a satisfied smile as he nodded his head, and if it wasn't for their close relationship, Five would've missed it. "Got it chief. What cell is she in?" Ben asked when he realized that Five didn't specify about her location, making Five look away from him for the first time since the conversation started. "She's in my private quarters."

Ben looked at him with wide eyes, which then narrowed as his eyebrows frowned in total confusion. "What? Why would she be-"  
"I don't know what to tell you, Ben, it just happened. Now go or I'll be late for my meeting with Reginald." Five urged him and got up from his seat as well, ending the conversation quickly before Ben would manage to extort and other answers from him. 

Ben was about to ask another question, yet from the harsh way, Five put the bourbon bottle back on the desk and the way he drank it all in one shot, made him shake his head with a sigh and exit the office towards Five's private quarters. 

-

Vanya always hated the fact that she's a light sleeper. 

As a young girl, getting a good night's sleep was tough, especially when everything woke her up. Whether it would be gunshots, yelling, and even hushed conversations from under her window - once she woke up, it was nearly impossible to get back to sleep. 

Living in town 043 was especially scarier   
after Five got taken away. There were more late nights than none where she would find herself sitting in her bed, a knife she grabbed from the kitchen and stuffed under her pillow clutched in her tight fist with her eyes fidgeting between her bedroom door and the window. 

Losing both of her parents to a mass shooting incident when she was 15 didn't help her either. 

If anyone would have told Vanya that she would sleep for more than 4 hours a night she would laugh in their face, but now as she's leaning against Five's fireplace with the rough brick wall, she's having the best sleep she has ever had. Unlike how she usually is, She didn't feel anything and she didn't hear anything, which helped her remain asleep this entire time. 

Just like that, she couldn't hear Ben walk into the room, she couldn't feel his hands on her forearm shaking her slightly. Especially not when her mind was wandering around in her dreams. 

In her dream she just woke up in her small, crumbling apartment, letting out a sigh of relief that all of the crap she just went through was just a nightmare. She saw herself stretching her slender fingers before starting to type away on her computer, surveying the dark web for _anything_ that could alert her of what happened to Five. But this time, she got a weird feeling in her chest, creeping into her the further she looks into articles upon articles about Reginald and the military as if she doesn't need to do that anymore like she knows the answer. 

But that was all just a dream, right? 

She lowered her eyes to the keyboard, but the letters switched places. All of the keys in all of the wrong places... Something was going on, she could sense it. She looked back at the screen and saw nothing but gibberish, not the article she previously pulled up on the screen. She looked down at the keyboard only to find the keys have switched places once again, making her even more baffled. She looked up again and saw a different article entirely, one with a photo of Five's smirking face and a new batch of text in gibberish. 

"...what the fu-"

"Vanya!" 

Vanya opened her eyes at once, her body coming forward first, then followed by her sleep heavy head. Her heart started beating faster as she looked at the floor, then at the bed on the corner of her eyes.   
It's not her apartment. It wasn't just a nightmare. At least not the kind to be just in her mind. 

A sigh of disappointment left her mouth as her head fell in defeat. She rubbed the sleep away from her eyes and looked over at her cuffed hand. But wait, didn't someone wake her up? 

She quickly looked to her right where a soldier was crouching next to her, his face was different than the blank expression or the sadistic joy the other soldiers always had, he had the look of sympathy, a look Vanya recognized very well. 

"B-Ben? Ben Min?" She asked, and the dark-haired man flashed out a smile. With a tilt of her head backward and onto the brick wall, Vanya let out a laugh of relief, a tear of joy escaping her right eye. She looked back at him. all of his limbs are intact, he doesn't seem hurt in any way, he's alive and well. 

_He's alive and well._

Vanya's smile faltered. 

"Is this some kind of a sick joke?" She asked him, a lump forming in her throat making it hard for her to speak. The smile on Ben's face faltered as well, his brows furrowed in question as another tear fell, this time from her left eye. The joy in her eyes turned to something darker... Perhaps anger? No... It was more than that. 

It was _rage_.

"You're with them, aren't you?"  
"...Vanya please-"  
"You think you can come here with that smile of yours, charm me with some shared trauma bullshit so I get a false sense of security and tell you everything, just so you could sell me to those fuckers like I'm nothing?!" She screamed, using her free hand to hit him as hard as she could, which didn't seem to do anything to his muscular frame. 

"Vanya wait... Just stop! Please!" Ben pleaded as he caught her fist in his hand, his eyes looking straight into hers as he released her fist slowly and instead held her face in his hands, a hand on each cheek.   
Vanya hated how close he was, but something in her got convinced from the look in his eyes. It was like that ever since they were kids, everyone in town knew that Ben Min was reliable, that he never lied.   
She'll be the judge for that. 

"You don't have to tell me anything, I won't make you talk. I came here because... I don't even know why I came here. I just wanted to see you. To hear from you. Vanya, why are you here?" He asked, and Vanya attempted yet again to swallow that lump in her throat.   
She obviously can't tell him the whole truth, but she can tell him parts of it. 

"I came here for Five. If I knew everything I know now I... I would've never left my apartment," _never joined the umbrella group_ , she referred from saying this part, not only because of Ben but also because it hurts more to admit it out loud.   
This whole thing was a mistake, now she's paying for it. "I wouldn't have let myself hope for this long for something good to happen. It's been 13 years and he was still the same Five in my eyes. He was _my_ Five. Now he's nothing but a walking corpse."

She spat the last part with venom coating her voice. It saddened her to think about how these are the best words she could use to describe him. He's still breathing, walking, talking, taunting her with his constant teasing and smirking, but in actuality, he's just an empty shell, as if a parasite has taken over his brain.   
That would make his actions not his own, and Vanya, strangely enough, hoped that was the case. 

Ben sighed, perfectly understanding what she meant.   
"The soldiers are not supposed to remember where they came from, their families, or their friends... A clean slate helps for emotional distancing when in battle. That didn't quite work for me though." He said as he walked towards the night dresser beside the bed, then opened the bottom drawer, from which he took out a small silver key. 

"What does that mean?" Vanya asked as he freed her from her cuffs, rubbing her sore wrist once she was finally free from it. 

"Five years ago, a group of soldiers I was a part of got a mission. A full section of town 009 was planning an attack on Reginald's mansion, so we were ordered to exterminate the citizens of this section." Strangely enough, Vanya remembered this attack as if it was yesterday. She read about it on the dark web and contemplated for a full week about whether she should join them or not.   
She was glad she didn't. 

"I made my way to a store I knew was owned by a family of three, and when I got there, found them hiding in the supply closet, crying their eyes out and pleading me to spare them. I've heard these kinds of cries all the time, but this time the setting was different. A Korean family of three, a shop selling seafood... It was like a mirror for my life. Slowly the memories kicked in, I started remembering more and more, at some point I understood everything the parents were yelling, even though it sounded like gibberish just a couple of minutes ago... I was supposed to kill them, but I fired three shots into the air and got out of there with the most painful headache I have ever felt."

Ben's eyes were glistening with tears threatening to fall, but years of hiding his weakness have taught him to hold them in. Vanya looked at him with worry, wondering if Five has ever gone through what Ben did. 

"C'mon, we have to go." Ben rose to his feet, as Vanya's heartbeat started peaking up again. She opened her mouth to ask where they were going, but immediately closed it. Any place that's outside of this room is bad for her, so she can only assume that the place he came from to take her to is just as bad as the interrogation room from yesterday. They're not giving up until she gave them what they need. 

Luckily she wasn't planning on giving up either. 

Vanya rose to her feet, nearly falling back down if it wasn't for Ben holding her by her upper arm and waist. His hold on her hand made the action of taking her arms backward and putting the handcuffs on her wrists again much quicker, leaving her no time to resist, much to her dismay.

"Sorry about that, but it's protocol." Ben apologized as the two started walking towards the elevator waiting for them outside. Vanya sighed as her arms fidgeted around, trying to find a better spot for her sore wrists where it wouldn't hurt as much when the elevator announced its arrival with a distinct 'ding'. 

She looked at his blurry reflection on the shiny wall of the elevator, how he still acted like a top of the line soldier with his arms behind his back and his legs close together and heels touching, even when it was only the two of them.   
"Ben, you have to help me." She whispered, her fingers twitching in need of scratching at something since her arm is not available. 

She saw him looking her way in the reflection, but she didn't dare to move.   
"Help you with what?" He asked, his tone devoided from wonder or confusion as if he was simply playing himself the fool.   
He knew exactly what she meant, so she didn't even bother saying it. 

"I don't even know if my friends are alive...the last time I saw them they were badly hurt and it's all my fault. I have to go and see them!" She yelled- whispered, her eyes tearing up at the thought of Klaus, sprawled over the damp dirt of the forest, losing more and more blood.   
"Vanya...I'm sorry but I can't."

"Oh really?" She asked with a mocking tone as she spun around to look at him. "And why the fuck is that? Too much of a coward to do it? Because you're so fucked up that you can't think about anyone but yourse-"

Ben quickly turned to his right, where the button panel was. His hand pressed the emergency button, making the elevator stop with a slight shake, the lights turning off before glowing back with ominously on red. "Don't you fucking dare judging me, Vanya. You think I don't want to help you? I have wanted to go back to our town since the minute my memories came back, and it broke my heart when I realized that I couldn't. Vanya," Ben bit his lip harshly, so harshly that Vanya was afraid that he would draw blood. 

"Every year, some soldiers from my unit and other units also would disappear after they acted kind of strange. When I had no recollection of who I was, I had no idea why they were gone for months, then came back better than ever with no memories of ever acting strangely in the first place. But when I got my memories back it wasn't so hard to see why." His voice was bitter as he looked not at her but through her, and the look on his face illuminated by the red lights managed to frighten her even more. 

"They treat us like lab rats. When we get back our memories they reprogram us, because they know fully well that if we had the choice we wouldn't want to take any part in this...horrible thing. I can't let them reprogram me, Vanya."  
"Then why not come with me? Everybody in town misses all of you dearly...your friends miss you, Ben." Vanya says weakly, if she spoke any louder her voice would crack from the effort of holding back her tears. 

"There's nothing I want more than this, trust me, but I've seen what happened to soldiers who tried to escape. They don't get their freedom back, or their former lives. All they get is to run away from the Swedes for the remaining it their life, which is going to be quite short after you die by their hands."  
Vanya tilted her head to the side. "The Swedes?"

"They immigrated from the Stockholm district in Sweden, three brothers, and excellent assassins. They were captured by the military when they snuck into the United Districts, and if it wasn't for their extraordinary talent at breaking necks and bones, they would've died in a death penalty like any other immigrant. If they ever catch me running away, I'll be captured and tortured before I get executed in front of everyone."

Vanya scrunched up her nose in disgust at the lack of humanity in the people who are supposed to protect her district, as Ben pressed on the emergency button again, returning the elevator to its usual state, with normal lighting and descending to the basement, where a poorly lit, cold and damp interrogation room awaits her. 

The elevator stopped with a little shake and then the doors opened, showing her the same dark hallway she was dragged in just yesterday. It didn't take her long for her body to shiver and ache all over, even when she was barely touched, as if her body was conditioned to feel horrible whenever she's here. They passed soldiers by, and the more they looked at her in disgust, the more she wanted to drown herself in that tub from yesterday and never breathe the same air as them again.   
They arrived at the entrance of the interrogation room when suddenly the grip Ben had on her upper a tightened. 

"Five doesn't need to know we know each other. It'll be better if you don't mention me at all."

"He doesn't remember anything, does he?"  
Teats fell from her eyes as she said so. 

"His mind is a clean slate, he's loyal to Reginald just as much and perhaps even more than he was to you when we were kids," Ben said quietly, the sadness in his voice matches her own. 

The moment of silence between them was soon over when Ben banged on the door, and when another soldier opened it he pushed her inside. She landed on her bruised knees with a groan, and when she turned around to look at him, she could only recognize a slight movement of his eyebrows upwards before the metal door closed, leaving her alone to her punishment. 

\--

"So basically you're telling me..."  
"Yeah..."  
"That I, Number Five..."  
"Yes, go on..."   
"I kissed a mannequin,"  
"When you were 13..."  
"Because I liked you,"  
"And you wanted to do it right before you kissed me."

Five let out a scoff of disbelief as he leaned back in his chair, twirling a glass of whiskey on the rocks in his right hand as the other picked at a loose piece of thread. A smirk was plastered on his face, and Vanya returned the favor with half-lidded eyes and a small laugh. 

She came back from her awful torture session just half an hour ago. Five still doesn't trust her enough and still cuffs her to the fireplace, which proves to be super uncomfortable since today they used their hands and bats to get what they want. She told them every insignificant information she could, hoping that perhaps the fact that she answers them (even if it's not for what they asked her) would make them hurt her less, but that deemed itself to be futile when beating her up was a bonus for her torturers. 

A particularly strong swing from one of the small bats towards her face hit her nose, and for 10 minutes afterward, she saw stars and couldn't stop the bleeding.   
But then they brought her back, and Five, who just came out of the shower wearing nothing but a towel around his waist, barely managed to hide the frowning of his eyebrows, or how he bit the inside of his cheeks. 

He tried his best to hide how much he cared, yet he was the most gentle he has been in a while. It felt nice when he covered her in that blanket, and the way he talked about his tiring day with a calm voice as he poured himself his scotch was soothing. It's been a minute since she heard that tone in his voice. 

He looked exhausted, and Vanya could only expect him to ask her to shut up so he could get some peace, yet he asked for no such thing. He sat down on the same chair from yesterday, anticipation visible on his face.   
Vanya was quick to oblige. 

She couldn't help but be surprised at how much his smile, how much merely being in his presence was like medicine. At that moment she couldn't feel any pain, she didn't care about the blood dripping from her nose, she felt content. 

When suddenly there was knocking on the door. 

"Pinkieboo!"

Five turned to look at the locked door of his quarters, then quickly turned to look at Vanya, the stress emitting from his face in the form of wide eyes and frowned eyebrows.  
The knocking continued as Five sprung to his feet, then rushed to the bedside table to fish for the handcuff's key from the bottom drawer.   
"What is she doing here?" Vanya asked in a low voice, followed by a yelp as Five took her hand in his and pulled her up to her feet. 

"Stay there, and be quiet. Don't try anything stupid." He replied, his tone low and warning, as he let her to his bathroom then pushed her in, closing the door quickly behind her. 

Vanya heard the lock on the door clicking, then a squeak of the door as she started biting on her torn nails, a nervous habit she never overcame. What if Gabriella finds out that she's here? She will probably be blamed for it all and executed right then and there because they obviously won't blame the man who chose to put her in his private quarters instead of the prison cell she was already in. Her mind wandered into frightening territories in her mind before she realized the two of them were having a conversation. 

"I missed you, isn't that enough of a reason to visit my fiance?" Gabriella asked, and Vanya could nearly hear the smile on her voice.   
"You're right, I just...didn't expect any visitors."  
"Long day, huh?" She asked in a low voice, her tone suddenly changing from an amused one to something... Darker. Five only sighed deeply, yet you could almost feel the same amount of tiredness he felt just from that sigh.   
"Well..." Vanya heard Gabriella saying before she heard the sound of high heels clicking on the marble floor. "Maybe I can help you...unwind." 

Vanya nearly lost control of her voice when she heard the sound of a heavy particle of clothing falling to the floor, followed by the recognizable sound of a sloppy kiss. Vanya didn't think straight as she opened the door slightly, an urge inside her wants to see what's happening, yet she immediately regrets it once she finally sees. 

Gabriella, wearing nothing but a set of black, Lacy undergarments and still in her high heels that when standing next to five seem like they are doing nothing to make her any taller, a tan coat laying on the floor near her feet. Looking at five, he had her arms around his neck as he simply stood there, and his fingers were itching as if contemplating whether to repay the touch or not. 

But that was all she could see in a split second, because the moment she moved the door, even if as slightly as she could, a loud and piercing squeak echoed into the big room, making Gabriella break the kiss and look around with a raised eyebrow. "What was that?" She asked as she slowly moved towards the slightly opened bathroom door, before Five grabbed her by the hand and spun her around towards him, connecting their lips in a deep kiss. 

Vanya leaned against the sink in the bathroom as she heard everything happening: their clothes rustling as they took everything off, the squeaking of the bedsprings as Five threw Gabriella onto it, the sound of their lips smacking against each other... She hated every second of it. 

She could hear it all despite having her hands over her ears, even when she tries to think of some happy memories, to escape her body at that moment and perhaps never come back, all of her happy memories had Five in them. 

The sound of metal clinking was followed by the sound of a zipper unzipping, alluding to what comes next.   
Five cares that much little of her that he fucks another woman in her presence? Does he truly not care that she risked going beyond the borders of her home town and getting caught just for him?! 

She felt her stomach turning when she could hear the exact moment their bodies became one. A long moan exiting Gabriella's mouth followed soon enough by the sound of their bodies coming to meet each other as they thrust, creating a loud smacking sound to echo around the room. 

At that moment she realized she could escape, All she has to do is open the door and run. Five will probably be buried deep inside Gabriella's cunt, too occupied with chasing his release to chase her right away, then from there it's straight towards the elevator and she's free. Her legs are twitching just from the thought of freedom. 

But she knows it's just wishful thinking. 

Strangely enough, the only safe place in this mansion- hell, this whole town, is Five's private quarters, where the door can be locked and all she has to endure is his so un-Five-like behavior. It beats drowning or punching, so who is she to complain.   
Besides, just thinking about the swarms of soldiers surrounding the mansion- from the inside and the outside, she has nearly zero chances of a safe escape, especially when the only two places she has been in are Five's secluded quarters and the lowest floor, containing the prison cells and the torture rooms. 

She was trapped. 

Her mind was so deep in thoughts that she came back to her senses just as the two groaned in unison, then let out deep breaths, signaling that they were finally done. Gabriella let out a giggle as Five rolled off of her to his side, letting out a chuckle of his own.   
"That was fun." Vanya heard Gabriella say as Five opened the top drawer, then after a little rustle, he closed it again. Getting on her knees, Vanya crawled towards the gap in the door, peaking through it. Gabriella had her eyes closed as Five scribbled patterns on her bareback with his finger, he was leaning against the bed frame, a lit cigarette clutched between his fingers, and he was looking straight at her. 

He didn't have a smirk on his face, nor did he have an apologetic look either, he simply stared back at her through the screen of smoke forming in the room. Tears burned her eyes, yet she blinked them back each time. She didn't know what he wanted to achieve by that, but she didn't care. She couldn't bare to look at him. And with that she crawled back, getting up only to take two towels from the racket, then going into the dry bathtub, using one towel as a pillow and the other one as a blanket. 

Time passed by.   
Gabriella has fallen fast asleep, and unbeknownst to Five, Vanya has too. By this point, he wasn't surprised when he couldn't fall asleep, but this time it wasn't because of another dream. What happened just now was a reality.   
He just had sex with his fiance, while another woman was just in the other room, and the entire time it wasn't his fiance that was on his mind. Not his fiance that made him go over the edge. 

The moment Gabriella took off her coat to reveal what's underneath Five knew what's happening- she had been talked to as well.   
It began when Five and Ben parted ways, and he walked towards Reginald's office. He knocked thrice on the door before entering, but he immediately stopped once he saw Reginald in another strange moment when he doesn't take his pills. He was standing in front of his favorite mirror on the wall, hands behind his back as he let out hushed murmurs into the air. 

When Five finally called Reginald and brought him back to reality, it still wasn't enough. First, they talked about his speech to the soldiers, then the conversation switched to Vanya. He was getting angrier at how long it took to extract information from her, and Five had nothing to say, so he opted for lowering his head down and swearing that he'll do better from now on instead. 

But all of a sudden it was strange. The subject matter changed once again in a drastic fashion, Reginald seemed to look past Five and Not at him when he spoke.   
_I'm not getting any younger, Number Five..._ he started, his leg twitching nervously.   
_before I go, I want to know I have a strong legacy to continue my way. I want to see it with my own two eyes..._

He wants Five to be a father. To own a strong boy that will grow to be a strong man, one that could take over after Five has served his duty as the ruler once Reginald will be gone. 

If five had known about this a week ago, he wouldn't pay it too much thought. He will continue to rule and Gabriella will mostly take care of the newborn.   
But now he... Feels things.   
His memory of Vanya's father a little blurry, but the feelings are as bright as daylight. Somehow, he feels adoration and jealousy at the same time. When he searched his mind for the reason, he discovered the adoration he felt towards Vanya's father, how he treated him like he was his own son. The jealousy was directed towards Vanya, who has this amazing man for a father while Five doesn't have one at all. 

Thinking about these emotions, Five doesn't want his child to feel his absence and at the same time, he doesn't know how to be a father. He doesn't know if he has what it takes, if he ever had what it takes. 

Beside him, Gabriella has turned away from him to her side, still sleeping soundly. Feeling relieved, Five slowly sat up, his eyes finally turning to the place he couldn't look at earlier- the bathroom.   
After taking one last glance at Gabriella, Five slowly got up from the bed, the spring screeching ever so slightly, making him holt and watch Gabriella once again. 

She didn't move. 

Using the tip of his toe, then slowly putting down the rest of his foot- that's how Five walked slowly towards the slightly ajar bathroom door. Sucking in his stomach, Five managed to flatten his torso enough so he could pass through the opening with only a little squeaking. Heaving out a sigh of relief, he looked around the room in his search for Vanya. 

He couldn't see her at first, even though he knew she didn't leave through the door this entire time, and that she couldn't have jumped out of the window due to the enormous height of Five's quarters. Five could notice a few towels missing from the shelf on the wall, yet he had no sight of the petite brunette whatsoever, until a heavy, relaxed sigh, came from the direction of the bathtub. The large porcelain tub was centered on a small stage of sort, with steps leading up to it. Using the same technique with his feet again, he walked towards the tub, then went up the steps. And there she was. 

The mystery of the towels was solved, as she clutched onto a large towel for some warmth on a chilly, fall night like this one. The faint moonlight eliminated the dark bathroom, so he could see that the nostrils of her nose were still red from the blood that streamed from them earlier, and her calm demeanor was betrayed by puffy circles around her eyes, remains from her crying. 

Looking at her, Five immediately knew.   
If she were to be the mother of his child, he would never doubt about being a father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yesss Ben is alive and well and a part of this story now, it wasn't like that at first, but keeping him around actually helps me more plot wise than if he wasn't, so that's cool!


	10. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for not updating for so long! If you guys don't know, I couldn't resist and started another Fiveya fic with an interesting subject so check it out if you're interested! 
> 
> I hope a long ass chapter will compensate for ny absence, so please enjoy 
> 
> ⚠️WARNING! MENTIONS OF TORTURE!⚠️

When Vanya woke up the morning after to the sound of muffled chatter, she didn't remember the events of the previous night at first. Her instincts told her to find shelter, to run, to fight, to do something, but when she sat up in the tub, all she could feel was searing pain going through her body.  
And just like that, she was reminded of what caused her body to ache in the first place. 

That's right. She slept the entire night in a cold tub while the man she couldn't help but love fucked another woman. The torture never stops, even inside this so-called "safe space".  
Gabriella laughed from behind the bathroom door. Her laughter, unsurprisingly, is just as annoying as she is. Vanya couldn't hear any reply from Five before the main door to the room opened and then finally closed a few moments later. 

The room was quiet with no more muffled chatter and laughter, which means Gabriella was officially gone.  
Slowly, with every muscle aching, Vanya climbed out of the tub, falling to the platform with a groan. 

"I had no idea she would show up, it managed to stress even me out." Five admitted as he walked towards her, his arm extended forward for her to grab. Vanya said nothing as she tried her best to get up on her own, her expression not letting any emotion show. 

"And why's that?, she's your _fiancee_ , isn't she? "She let out in a bitter tone. She managed to get up with a groan, then walked right past him into the bedroom. Confused, Five turned around towards her. "...Are you ok?" Five asked slowly as if she's a wild animal that might attack him at any moment. The irony didn't fail to make her let out a low, dry chuckle. 

"What kind of question is that? I haven't been ok since the moment I set foot in this place, how can I be fucking ok?" Vanya replied, her voice betraying the need to seem strong as it Shook. And it wasn't just her voice but her eyes as well, blocking her sight with the blur of unshed tears. 

Five remained silent, mentally scolding himself for asking such a stupid question. And why does he care, anyway? He knows he shouldn't, but he does. Ever since he found her, he heard this little voice in the back of his mind. _protect her_ , it said, _at all cost_. He managed to silence the last one quite well, but the first one always seemed to get the best of him. 

The tears blocking her vision have finally given in to gravity, falling down her face one by one. "...Five, why am I here?" She asked suddenly, catching him off guard. It took him a few moments to reply. "Well, I told you already-" Vanya cut him off with yet another scoff as she crossed her arms over her chest. 

"What you told me was bullshit!"

"What other reason is there?" He asked, as if challenging her to find an answer, but that's not for her to discover when he doesn't even know for himself. Vanya looked at him with a locked jaw, trying to keep herself from lashing out. 

"I don't know, you tell me. Is this some type of emotional torture? You think you can connect with me and convince me to tell you everything so you can rat it out to your rotting corpse of a boss?!" Vanya shouted, and Five now seemed more pissed than ever. 

"You better watch your mouth or else-"  
"Or else what?! You're going to torture me? You've been doing that for three days now, time to get creative." She replied with difficulty as she could feel the tightness in her throat, tears streaming down her face. 

They both breathed heavily as they fell silent, looking at each other with intensity like they've never had before. Vanya was the first one to look away with a sigh, closing her eyes moments before breaking the silence. 

"...god, you're so fucking confusing." She said as she rubbed her swollen face with her hands, making Five's intense stare falter. "One moment you throw me to prison and the next you bring me here, you get those shits for brains soldiers to torture me every day but you bring me new clothes and blankets so I won't get cold... What's this between us?" The last part came out in a whisper. 

Five nearly winced at the pang he felt in his heart as she spoke. Like everything in his life, he hoped that if he'll never address it, then it's not real. But she addressed it for him, and now it's out there. He can't escape the strangeness of his actions even if he wanted to. There was no point in hiding from it. 

"I don't know."

The answer was probably not the one she was looking for, but it was the truth. For now, it's all he can give her. 

Vanya closed her eyes with a sigh of defeat, regret filling every fiber of her body. Was it worth it? Risking her life for someone who's nothing but a vessel for this... Parasite? 

"It's better for both of us if you just take me back to my cell-"  
"No! Absolutely not!" Five Was quick to object, shutting down the idea entirely. Vanya looked at him with wide eyes, both surprised from the sudden rising of his tone and especially from his Swift reply. 

"W-what do you mean no?! Don't you get it? It's dangerous for both of us if I stay here much more than if I go back, so why the fuck not?!"

"Because I need you by my side!"

His loud reply was followed by silence as Five finally let out what has been tormenting him for the past three days.  
"...what?" She chokes out the word, following him with her eyes as he walked towards the bed, then sat on it with his head held in his hands. 

"...ever since you told me these stories I started having these strange dreams, but they don't just feel like dreams," he rose his head so he could look right into her dark brown orbs "They felt more like...memories." 

Vanya crossed her arms across her chest yet again, wondering to herself whether she should believe him or not. After all, it could all have been a part of an elaborated plan to get her to open up about the umbrella group. 

Five took her silence as a sign to continue.  
"I don't know why it's happening, or why I can't recall any other memories while I'm awake, but I do know that it's just the beginning. I need to know more."  
The last part of the sentence sounded nearly desperate, almost convincing Vanya that she should stay.  
Almost. 

"It doesn't work that way, Five." Her voice was monotone as she looked down at him, figuratively and literally. "I don't know you well enough to tell you everything. I won't lie, I _did_ hope you'd be willing to help me escape if you started remembering me, remembering us...but now I'm not so sure."

He looked at her with a frown as if he got offended by her words, and she found herself stifling a scoff right then and there. What in the world did he expect? She didn't know the answer to that, only that logic seems to matter less and less once you're rich and powerful. 

"Five don't give me that look," she rolled her eyes at him "look me in the eyes and tell me that you can be loyal to me, that you have no problem helping me escape." Five turned to look into her brown orbs, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. She was right, he couldn't tell her that.  
But he could show her. 

Vanya could barely register what was happening as Five grabbed her by the shirt and pulled her towards him, crashing their lips in a breathtaking kiss. 

She let her wide eyes slowly come to a close as she leaned more into the embrace, kissing his soft lips back.  
She couldn't believe this is happening, what she wished for forever since she was 12. The kiss felt like no other, just like how she imagined it to be. The circumstances- not as much. 

She broke the kiss as she felt the familiar pain in her lungs telling her she needs to take in some air, resulting in a big inhale right as their lips separated. Even though they were no longer kissing, their faces remained close. So close that they were practically breathing the same air. 

But they stayed still, Not daring to move. They just didn't want to.  
It took every bit of energy Vanya had in her body to hold herself back from diving back in, and the firm hold he had on her sides showed he was holding onto her as if grasping on to whatever could ground him. She didn't even remember how'd they get into this position, with her sitting on his lap, her legs on each side of him. 

They looked into each other's eyes as they breathed heavily, feeling like the air around them has turned stiff. 

They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, and at that moment they couldn't help but agree. It only took one look, and they already knew what had to be done. 

\----

Five straightened his badges of honor on his uniform before knocking on the door to Reginald's office. He didn't wait for a response before he stepped inside, immediately standing up straight while saluting.  
"You called me, sir."  
"Dismissed," Reginald said in his usual unimpressed tone, and Five closed the door behind him before walking towards his desk and taking a seat. "What is it?" 

"It's been six days since you brought that girl, and nothing works on her. They waterboarded her, beat her, they gave her LSD and electric shocks for fuck's sake and she spilled nothing of importance."  
Five swallowed an invisible lump that formed in his throat, trying to hide the tremble in his voice as he replied. 

"...so what are we going to do?"  
Reginald rose from his seat and leaned over the desk, a vicious smirk that Five already knew meant no good was plastered all over his face. "They say 'if you want something to be done well, you better do it yourself', so I want _you_ to torture her this time." 

Five nearly choked on air as he looked into his boss's empty eyes, but managed to hide it with a cough. "I-I'm sorry, sir, but I have too many duties to deal with, I'll just tell my troops to not go easy on her."  
Reginald looked to the side as the smirk grew, when in fact, he felt everything BUT amused. 

"Cut the bullshit, Number Five. I know what you've been up yo with that rebel scum." 

Five looked at him with wide eyes before letting out an awkward chuckle, hoping that the man that never joked before has finally discovered his true potential as a comedian and is playing a silly trick on him, but when he got no laugh in return, Five knew better than to deny it. 

"...who told you?"  
"One of the soldiers. Didn't even bother to remember his name."

Five swore under his breath, going through the names of the soldiers he saw the day she was first brought into his quarters. If he has any say in the matter, and he does, they will pay for betraying him. 

Seeing his expression, Reginald was quick to respond. "Don't get ahead of yourself, in this place you're not the highest authority, I am. But seriously Five, _her_?" He started scolding, making Five look at the suddenly interesting shapes on the wooden desk. 

"If Gabriella ever found out you were fucking around on the side this agreement is over! Years of preparation, thrown into the trash simply because you thought from your cock and not from your brain!" Reginald was more than just angry, he seemed disappointed. 

And that was much worse. 

Five had to rethink what Reginald just said. _fucking around? Three days ago was the closest he had ever been to her._. He sighed in relief as it dawned on him. 

Reginald doesn't have a clue of what happened in his room, and he found himself preferring it that way. It's easier to say that he was horny like a silly teen-ager than to say that he was curious about the stories she told him and seemed to showcase him a whole new side of him he can't seem to remember. 

In light of that, he decided to go along with it. 

"You're right, I'm sorry. This won't happen again, sir."  
"And how will I be able to know that? For all I know, you could have caught feelings by now."  
Five seemed calm on the outside, yet on the inside, he was losing his mind. Reginald can't Find out about the way he feels towards Vanya. With a sigh, he replied with the only thing he knew Reginald wanted to hear. 

"I'll do the torturing today." He replied shortly, his throat tight with the effort of hiding his unwillingness. The small yet victorious smile Reginald put on his face made Five bite the inside of his cheek in annoyance. Time and time again, the universe seems to teach him the same lesson- Reginald always gets what he wants. 

"Great, then I'll accompany you. Let's say...4 pm?" Reginald asked calmly as if the two of them were planning to meet up over a cup of coffee. Shrugging the absurdity of the situation aside, Five nodded as he saluted, then turned around to get out of the office. 

Once he got out, he started walking on autopilot, as if his mind couldn't comprehend what just happened and walk at the same time. 

He's going to torture her himself.  
With Reginald in the room as well. 

He truly hoped he won't be around for this, so Five could perhaps say he did it and do nothing, but now that he'll be there he won't be able to escape it. 

He tried his best to push these thoughts to the back of his mind as he made his way to his next meeting, hoping to get his mind off of this murky situation with work. 

Of course, that didn't help. 

\----  
The silence in the interrogation room irked Five more than it should have. His hands were getting sweaty despite the coldness of the room at that time of year and the fact that he took off his shirt uniform since it helps much more with mobility. Reginald stood right behind him in complete silence, not moving an inch from the corner of the dimly lit room. 

But that was his purpose to begin with. To watch. To observe. 

Suddenly the heavy metal door opened with a shriek that sounded like it came straight out of hell, and Vanya was thrown roughly into the room, falling onto her knees with a groan. She looked up from the dirty floor straight at him, looking smaller than ever. 

"Five? What are you doing here?" She got up to her feet, giving Five a full look of her body. She was even paler than before, her structure seemed more boney as she lost some weight, and most alarmingly of all, she was littered with blue and black marks on her arms and legs, some even on her face. 

It's not surprising after nearly six days of torture since the moment she got here, but it's the first time in a while that she's not wearing his long sleeve shirt. It helped to keep up the illusion that everything was ok, that when she was with him in their "safe space" she was well. 

Now it's apparent how much she's not. 

She looked only at him at first, visibly confused with his presence here, but he could see the exact moment that she realized they weren't alone, as her brown orbs moved to his left, and then her eyes widened with terror. This is the first time she had seen Reginald face to face, and she was terrified. 

In a state of panic, she fell to the floor crawling away from them with all her might, but that was to no avail as Five walked more towards her the further she got away, eventually grabbing her by the hair and pulling backward, meeting her tear-filled eyes with his sympathetic own. 

"Enough with the games, Vanya. We want names, and you'll give them to us." His voice was Stern and filled with resentment, one that Vanya was not ready for, especially from Five. Even when he's not himself he's nicer than this, what the fuck is happening? 

"I sure as hell won-" the sound of the slap he gave her echoed throughout the room. Her head flew to the side and the taste of copper filled her mouth. He grabbed her face by her jaw, and she whined in pain. 

"I can go all day, Vanya. Give me their fucking names!" A punch came next, and she met the floor with a thud. This time blood streamed from her nose as the same wound reopened as it does every day in every single torture session. 

She breathed heavily through her mouth, crawling on the floor in a futile attempt to get away from him, but while she put every ounce of energy she had left into it, Five walked slowly towards her outstretched hand, then stepped on her fingers, making her scream. 

"Names, Vanya! It's not that hard," he lifted his foot from her fingers, only to put it on her back, pinning her to the ground.  
"I just called out your name, see? Easy peasy."

"Five! I beg you, please stop!"  
"Quiet!" He yelled, kicking her in the stomach. 

Neither of them could tell how long it went before Vanya gave in. He punched her, kicked her, all as Reginald watched with a sickening smile on his face, feeling his trust in his right-hand man restored. Five doesn't know why, but at some point he even went on to use a metal Rod, hitting her thighs, her arms, and just before he nearly hit her head, she said it. "NO! STOP! I-I'LL TELL YOU THEIR NAMES JUST P-PLEASE!" she sobbed loudly as pain washed all over her, and Five gladly lowered the hand holding the rod. 

"T-their names are..." She started, it even hurt to speak, but she knew she had to. Five looked at her in anticipation. Frankly, he didn't give a shit about her friends from the other side, as long as she didn't get tortured anymore, he was more than fine with that. 

"Marcus Rojas, Ben Hartman, Ana Johnson, Alphonso Garrido, Carmen Roads, Isabel Sandoval, and Christopher Hill." Vanya ended with a sigh. Yes, she threw other people under the bus. But did she care? Not at all. They were the biggest and most notorious criminals in her town, responsible for developing so many dangerously addictive drugs in their labs, and kidnapping women from the streets to be sold as sex slaves in other districts. 

They're everything but innocent so in a way, justice will be served. 

"What town?"  
"Town 043." She replied, feeling her eyes close from pure exhaustion. The room got quiet, the only sound is the sound of shoes walking on the floor, then a pat of Reginald's hand on Five's shoulder. "You did well, son." He said proudly before walking towards the exit, the door making the same shriek as it closed behind him. 

Now they're all alone. 

The Rod he was holding fell from his hand to the floor, the noise it made echoed around the room loudly.  
Looking at her bleeding form laying on the ground in front of him, Five couldn't hold back anymore. 

Keeping his tears at bay proved to be a hard task, his entire body shaking with the effort. 

"...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..."

The words fell from his lips like a voiced-out train of thoughts as he fell, hanging on to Vanya's body like a vice. Soon the pleas turned into sobs as he hugged her closer to him, crying into the crook of her neck. 

A sudden sound of metal clinging from the exposed pipes around the room reminded him where he was, making him look around once again.  
He can't leave her here. 

Thinking about his next move, Five got back on to his wobbly feet and walked towards the exit. A guard stood there in a perfect stance, standing still even though he's all alone in the hallway, with no one to tell him to act properly.  
Usually, Five had a fondness for this type of soldiers. 

But not this time. 

"Private," Five said in his most authoritative tone, trying to ignore the dryness in his throat from his previous sobbing. The soldier was quick to respond with a salute, the proudest one Five has ever seen.  
Someone's eager. 

"You can go and take a rest, I'll deal with her."  
"Sorry sir, but sir Reginald has ordered me to do it myself-"  
"Sir Reginald is not your direct commander, I AM, so I suggest you do as I say private or SO HELP ME GOD-"  
"I'm sorry sir, chief commander sir, I'll be on my way!" He yelled as he saluted before running down the hallway and disappearing in the left turn. 

Sighing in relief, Five returned to the room and picked her up from the ground and into his arms, holding her tight to him in a futile way to warm up her freezing body.  
The faintest groan of protest came out of her throat, but Five only shushed her before making the quickest exit he could. 

He walked straight to the elevator, grateful for having a floor all to himself. The elevator ride was filled with anxiety as he held tightly onto the girl aching in his arms. He watched as the floor numbers changed one by one, his heart beating rising just as such. Finally, he reached his floor when a distinct "ding" was heard, and the doors opened to a familiar red and gold hallway. 

He walked quickly and entered his quarters, feeling relieved. Vanya groaned in pain as Five put her gently on the bed, his thumb caressing her cheek as he held her head in his hand, estimating the amount of damage he had done. 

She seemed to have a black eye and a nose bleed that had already dried on her face. Lifting the thin short-sleeved shirt she was wearing, a big red and purple hand-shaped mark was visible on both sides of her stomach, probably the cause of when she tried to get away and he held onto her tightly as he pulled her back. 

Putting his hand on the marks, his hands fit perfectly, and of course they did, his hands were the ones that caused this. 

But in his mind it was like sunsets-no matter how much you see a sunset in your life, you still find it beautiful each time. 

And just like that, no matter how much he sees the damage he has done to people, it always terrifies him. 

He walked towards the bathroom, intending to draw a bath. He could no longer stand looking at the dry blood on her skin and the dirt that had stuck to her body from being stuck in that damp and dirty prison cell. 

As warm water started to fill the tub, Five turned to look at the bed from the entrance of the bathroom.  
Vanya was still laying on the bed, the small movement of her fingers as they grabbed and released the bedding beneath her didn't go unnoticed by him. She was trying so hard to grasp onto anything comforting that it nearly broke his heart. 

He closed the tab in the nick of time before walking towards Vanya and grabbing her in his arms. She let out a groan of pain, and Five only held her closer to him as he walked back into the bathroom. 

It's been a while since he was gentle with his touch. His hands are dry and scruffy from all of the fightings he used to do, and even with Gabriella he had never been gentle, but that's only after she requested him to do so. His hands shook with the effort of not hurting her further as he sat her down on the sink counter and took off her clothes for her. 

He tried not to look at the roundness of her breasts or her toned stomach as it nearly crept inward from poor nutrition, But especially he tried to avoid looking at the marks surrounding them. She was barely able to sit up straight, eventually putting her head in the crook of his neck. 

Everything seemed blurry to her.  
She couldn't tell if her body was numb to the pain or too sensitive that she can't feel anything _but_ pain, she only knew that one moment she was in the air, and the next she was submerged in warm water. Her fresh bruises stung when they came in touch with what she could only describe as liquid heaven, and at that, her back arched instinctively. She let her eyes close as one gentle hand was placed on her lower back, and the other caressing her hair and body. 

She forgot how it feels, to be taken care of like this. 

In the place she lives in, if not the world she lives in, being selfless is like having a death wish.  
Unless it's beneficial for both sides, no one is willing to help anyone else. But then again, there is no such thing as altruism. 

The smell of soap filled her nose soon enough, and the feeling of that soft hand going through her head and over her body, cleaning her from all of the filth she had gathered all this time, brought her the most comfort she felt ever since she got here. 

Deep down she wanted to believe it wasn't only her body that was getting cleaned, but also her mind, her guilt, her sins, her mistakes, her feelings. She wanted it all gone, to have a clean slate.  
But she knew it's not possible.  
She knew that running away from herself won't help her in this fight. 

Her eyes felt heavy as she reopened them, feeling her body rising from her fleeting piece of heaven. She was about to whine in displeasure before a fluffy white towel was draped over her. She looked up at the man before her. He was dead silent as he wrapped his hands around her body once again, and lifted her out of the tub. 

He sat her down on the toilet seat, drying her body as lightly as he could, still managing to make her wince. 

"Five," she didn't know what to say, she wasn't even sure if she's willing to talk to him so soon. What he did to her proved her the thing she feared the most.  
He's still loyal to Reginald and he won't hesitate to hurt her if he's ordered to.  
But Five only made it easier for her. 

"Don't talk, let your body rest."  
His voice was harsh as if he was parched. Once he was done, he lifted her again for the millionth time back into the bedroom and sat her down on the bed. It took everything in her power not to fall back onto the mattress once Five left her side and went to the closet. 

The feeling of the soft bedding, the warmth of the room, and most importantly, the silence, made her feel all the more exhausted. Her eyes were closing again just as Five returned with a familiar long-sleeved shirt and one of his boxer briefs. She let him take back control of her body as he dressed her, finding herself holding onto his shirt once he rose her to her feet for when he put on the boxer briefs, but she took her hand away as soon as she came back down. 

Vanya was already fast asleep by the time Five had finished dressing her. He then tucked her in, making sure she was fully covered and comfortable before kissing her forehead lightly. He turned off the bedside lamps, and the room was swallowed in the darkness of the night. 

Five won't sleep next to her, he doesn't deserve to sleep on his bed. His eyes drifted towards the armchair he always sat on when she told him about himself, but a pang of guilt passed through him as he did so. 

He knew exactly what he deserves. 

He sat down near the fireplace, leaning his head against the cold and rough bricks. Closing his eyes, his mind was overloaded with undealt thoughts and feelings, but from all of them one stood out especially. 

Will she ever forgive him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you guys think about it?  
> It was hars for me to write that torture scene, but I knew I wanted it to be a part of my story ever since I thought about the idea. I hope you weren't too shocked or horrified by it!


End file.
